Where It All Began
by LuciferDragon
Summary: Every story has a beginning. I, the Spirit of Halloween, am not excluded from this. These are a series of drabbles and oneshots set both before, after, and sometimes during What Is Your Center? and Hounds of Burgess. Some get a bit... steamier than others.
1. Chapter 1

This is to be viewed as a prequel to both "What Is Your Center?" and "Hounds of Burgess". As the title suggests, it is a small story of what happened in the beginning. The very beginning.

* * *

"_It's time to wake up, Hana."_

Fear. That's the first thing I remember. As I took the first few pulls of air, I only felt pain and absolute fear. And then I saw the memories. Flashes of the past few days rushed before my eyes. Executed as a witch, hung, and thrown in a cart… oh gods, a cart of the dead. I struggled out of the cart, staggering off into the woods in a panic. I fell once and got to my feet again. I felt the dirt, the cold. I felt the tall grass and branches whipping at my still bare legs. I clutched my chest as I kept running, feeling the burn of my lungs.

And then I heard a laugh. It was so dark, so scary, it only drove me on faster. I stopped short as I came to the edge of a lake, and looked up at the bright moon. As I did, I heard a voice, silvery, kind. It was the same one I heard when I first woke in the cart. _"I place upon you the gift of the Chosen. The gift of All Hallows."_

I narrowed my eyes. "The gift of All Hallows? I don't understand. I am not a witch! Doesn't anyone understand?" I shouted to the skies.

"_You are Hana Eve, the spirit of All Hallows."_

"I don't understand! Who are you?" Silence was the only response I received. I stood in the cold, screaming to the stars through my still raw throat. The man would never answer me again.

I knelt in the forming snow, fingers tracing the rope marks on my throat. I swallowed, feeling the flesh rise up to meet my fingers. I wanted to flinch at the divots in my skin.

I chanced a glance at my reflection and stifled a shriek. I looked at my hands and stared at the flesh for the first time. From what I could tell in the moonlight, my skin was ashen, as if I were one of the dead. As I thought about it, the tone was fitting. My reflection showed black markings around my eyes, over my nose and lips, and three thin lines ran vertically over my lips as well. I turned my face, seeing blackened cheekbones. Most shocking were the two small horns protruding from my limp short hair. I tentatively reached up to touch them, and retracted my hand just as quickly as I noticed they were indeed part of my skull.

I had no more tears. I had shed the last of them when I faced the noose just hours ago. The cold stung my naked skin, giving me the beautiful yet horrible reminder I was indeed alive. As I looked around, I saw more than I ever had as a human. Not just sharper vision, but I could see... things. Everything had an ethereal glow, making it so beautiful. Even the lake shimmered, especially in the moonlight. It took my breath away.

I startled as a weight fell over my shoulders, and I saw a black cloth fall around me. "Now what is a young woman like yourself doing all the way out here, naked and all alone?"

It was such a seductive, deep voice I almost didn't want to turn around. Fear gripped at me as I realized how vulnerable I really was. I had been stripped of everything, leaving me with absolutely nothing. I realized just how alone I really was. Anyone was better than no one. "Do what you're going to do and leave. Please."

The voice chuckled and the presence behind me sat down, forcing me to look at him. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. His skin was more ashen than mine, and his pale eyes reflected the moonlight with ease. His black hair was slicked back in a way that still made it look soft if I were to touch it. He was bare-chested, meaning what was wrapped around me was most likely his cloak. "Trust me when I say I would have done so already if I wanted to do anything."

I was more interested in his strange glow. His aura, I suppose I could say. I wasn't used to being able to see such things. He was dangerous, I could tell that much, but there was something else. He was alone in the world, sad in a way. But the sorrow was so beautiful I almost couldn't look away. "Who are you?"

"My name is Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. I suppose you would know me best as the Boogieman."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Excuse me?"

"Have you got worms in your ears already?"

"No, I heard you, but do you really expect me to believe that?"

He grinned, showing me jagged teeth, and glanced at me. "You should start believing in many things, woman. Yourself, for starters. What is your name?"

"S— Hana. Hana Eve."

"I see. And what do you represent?"

I was so utterly confused, and still scared. I clutched the cloak tighter to my frame. "All Hallows. He said I was to represent All Hallows."

His laugh returned, sending a shiver down my spine. "Well then, this is your night. Relish it. Feel the spirits as they come from the other side, on this, the night were the land of the dead is closely connected with that of the living."

I looked around again, and clutched at his arm in instinct as spirits wandered through the woods around us, their gaze constant and unwavering as they walked. "I don't understand." I hated how my voice still rasped, and how a lump formed in my throat again. It was all too much. "God, I don't understand."

"God has nothing to do with it. You'll soon find out there never was one."

As terrifying as the spirits were, I could see them as something else. They were lost, looking for those they had left behind. "What am I?"

"A Spirit, so far as I can tell. One raised by the Man in the Moon from the looks of it."

I frowned and looked at him, letting him have his limb back. "Man in the Moon?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard the stories. Look there. Do you see the pattern in the moon, never changing? The pattern makes a face. The stories are there is a man on the moon, looking down upon everyone."

I scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Man can't travel to the moon."

"Oh but it's true. I put him there myself, though that is another story for another day, I suppose. Regardless, he is not a human. Nor am I. Nor are you anymore. He brought you back to life to serve a purpose. That purpose is to monitor the activities that happen this day."

"I'm not… human anymore?"

"Have you seen yourself, woman? Your eyes are glowing in the darkness. You have horns, skin like mine, ears ending in sharp points. You may have been human at one point, but not anymore. Embrace it. You are now superior." He stood with the help of his staff and started to leave. "You can keep the coat. I'll form another one."

My heart leapt in my throat as I stood to face him, gripping the coat tightly in my grasp. "You're just going to leave me out here?"

He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Why wouldn't I? I see no reason to take you along with me. You'll be fine on your own."

A sharp wail of a ghost nearby made me jump and rush forward, grasping on to his arm in instinct again. "Please, Mr. Black. Don't leave me out here. I-I don't know anything. I'm… who am I anymore? What is my purpose? I'm scared."

That seemed to trigger something in him. He grinned again. "Oh I know you are. I can feel it. However, I see no use in you."

My grip slacked on his arm and I stepped back. "Please. I'm alone, I'm scared, I've nothing anymore." I looked around as the ghosts seemed to be getting closer. "What am I to do with myself?" A soft sob escaped my throat, surprising even me. I thought I was done with the tears. I fell to my knees in a sudden wave of weakness. "Please don't leave me alone."

He was so quiet for the longest time, I thought he had left. What seemed like a decade passed before he spoke again. "Don't make me regret this. You will learn to use your powers as I teach them to you. I want nothing but promising results. Hopefully I'll have you trained enough for next year, and introduce you to as much of the world that I can."

I looked up at him in shock. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"And none of this Mr. Black shit, I'll have none of that. You will address me as Pitch, or Master, is that understood?"

I nodded. Anything to get out of the biting cold. "Yes, my master." He extended his hand to me and I took it without regrets.

"Do not disappoint me."


	2. Chapter 2

A year passed, and I didn't disappoint him once. I picked up on everything he taught me easily. I learned how to spawn creatures using shadows. He had his own shadow and sand techniques, and we found out I had my own. He could create creatures of Nightmares, I could create things of pure shadows and fear. Bats mainly. I could also control skeletons and ghosts and have them work for me, preparing for the next night that I would be left on my own.

I learned quickly that I couldn't digest food anymore. My cycles were also nonexistent. Everything else worked fine. We both discovered I fed like him. Off of terror of children and adults alike. I found I liked terrorizing them. I never threatened their lives, I just… scared them silly, that's all. I didn't have to defend myself around him. He was the one who encouraged me to be terrifying. He taught me how to read a person's greatest fear and use it to my advantage. While I could create nightmares, my talents were best suited for physical applications.

There was one talent I found that scared the daylights out of me at first.

He had taken me to a graveyard one night, full of raised bodies. It had flooded recently, sending caskets and bodies out into the streets. It wasn't hard to scare many of the people that night. All it took was an effort of will to make the skeletons dance. I think I gave one man such a scare a bit of his hair turned white prematurely. I only laughed as I fed on the fear, still getting accustomed to eating that way. I thought nothing of it as I touched one of the bones of the skeletons.

Immediately I saw images, memories that were not my own. They belonged to a woman in her early sixties. One who died from an unknown illness. She had been alone, widowed without children. No one to mourn her. When I finally came to I had tears on my cheeks and I tossed the bone off as if it were hot. It took some time to get used to, but it seemed he enjoyed hearing the stories of the departed, and so I honed my skills in learning about my so-called coworkers. There was one more thing we learned, one that I should never, ever do.

There are different forms of fear, you know. There is tension, there is fright, horror, terror, dread, and full blown panic. I could feed off of many of those, up until dread. That was the last one I could use.

A man in Germany was on a killing rampage in 1553, and the inhabitants of a recently struck village were growing panicked. Pitch thought, and I did as well, this would be the best place to satiate ourselves for quite some time. Everyone was on the verge of a panic attack. I did as I always did to fill my quota, trying to not go too far overboard. He had told me the fear high was something to not be ashamed of, and it affected everyone differently. When I felt the need to… well, be filled in other ways, I confined myself to my quarters any time I was on the fear high. There was no way I could bring myself to see if he would be receptive to those sorts of advances, and honestly, I wasn't interested at that time.

Regardless, I fed from the panicked villages, but something was wrong. I filled up quickly, yes, but something in me pulsed. I grew dizzy and colors started to blend together. Wicked images flashed before my eyes and I heard distorted laughter, mocking and prodding at me. I quickly understood I could not absorb panic, not of this magnitude. I could make out his concerned features, but even that blended together into nothing as the world began to spin. I remember him bringing me back to his lair and staying by my side the rest of the night, well into the morning. The entire time I had to endure the worst after effect of my life. For eight hours. After that, I never fed off panic again, and he didn't make me. I was afraid I had disappointed him. He said he was just glad I was fine. Apparently I had muttered and cried for most of it, saying things like "don't leave me alone, I don't want to be alone again". I can't recall saying it, and I apologized for my burden. He only prepared me for my next lesson.

After then, I started looking at him differently. I started seeing him as more than a teacher. He didn't seem to look at me like that, but I couldn't tell for sure. As the year passed, I learned everything I could. I even learned to summon my own horse, created from dark thoughts and shadows. He was a magnificent horse, made of pure muscle and strength, with such a gentle heart. He had black fur with a green skeletal pattern stained on it, and his eyes glowed the same green. I named him Hessian. It was a fitting name for a steed like him.

I was left on my own that All Hallows Eve. I held nothing back. My powers were at their peak, and I enjoyed myself fully. Everyone ran in fright as things started to go bump in the night. My Shadowbats helped corral the spirits of the dead through towns all over the world, sending just enough fear through the earth. I felt power I had never felt before. I was stronger, and I filled dreams with nightmares through the nights. As the day after rose, as All Hallows came to a close, I looked over my work, seeing the spirits return to their graves, watching the skeletons return to where I had summoned them. Each Shadowbat dispersed until I would call for them again. I leaned against Hessian's shoulder, smiling at my work.

"I see you won't need me anymore."

I looked to my left, seeing Pitch standing there, admiring the work as well. "I wouldn't say that. I'm sure there are a few more things I can learn."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing that I could teach you." He turned away from the rising sun. "You never disappointed me. For the past three hundred and sixty five days you have done every task I gave you without complaint, and without issue. That is quite remarkable." He glanced at me. "You are a talented woman. I wish you well in your work."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Are you leaving me on my own?"

"There is nothing more you can learn from me. It's time you set off on your own. Though I must admit, you do have a knack for immersing yourself in the darkness."

I slowly absorbed what he was saying, and I could feel my heart breaking. I had loved him for some time, two months now, but I knew he never would return the feeling. I was still sentimental, and I hated it. Over the year I had grown patient, calculating. I didn't show fear or trepidation while in the field. I showed no weaknesses. I doubt he even knew how I felt. "I see."

I was clinging to the only thing I could. The first person I had ever seen after my rebirth. The first person to ever accept the fact I was different. That I did ask questions. That I wasn't an ordinary silent woman. I had thoughts, and he seemed to value those thoughts. I cleared my throat and kept my face neutral. "If that is what you believe… Will I see you again?"

"Here and there, I suppose. If you continue to spread nightmares to the children, I'm sure our paths will cross again. Farewell, Hana. It's been… interesting."

I could only nod and turn my head to Hessian's shoulder, hiding my face from view. I wouldn't let him see me cry. I wouldn't let him know he had broken my heart.

"Then again…"

My head snapped in the direction of his voice, seeing him still standing there. He stared at his staff, twirling it in his fingers.

"You could stay in Venice. The lair is awfully large for just myself. And I'm sure there are some things I could still teach you."

I stared at him incredulously before I broke out into a grin. "Admit it. You'd miss me."

A smirk emerged on his face and he looked to me, still twirling his staff. "You keep things interesting, to say the least." He held up a finger. "There is one trick I didn't teach you."

Before I could ask he slipped into the shadows, disappearing altogether. I looked around, finding no trace of him in the rising sun. "Pitch?"

"I've gone nowhere."

I twirled around, finding him directly behind me. "What did you do?"

"Shadow stalking. I travel through the Void in two ways. Long distance, and short. I can travel all over, or just move out of the way." He grinned. "Flight or fight, remember that, Hana." I nodded and watched him disappear again. I froze as I felt him press against my back, his lips against my ear. "Something like this takes time to learn, even with your prowess. I think you should come back with me."

Who was I to argue? I nodded.

"There's something else you need to learn."

Now I was confused. What else was I missing?

"You need to learn to control those dreams of yours. They're dark thoughts. I can see them when I'm asleep as well."

My nerves seized. How the hell… It was then I remembered, nightmares were dark thoughts. Fears were dark thoughts. He could read dark thoughts. I bit my lip. "Are you cross with me?"

"Of course not." He moved from behind me, only making it worse as he forced me to look at him. "Something needs to be done about them though." He took my wrist and brought me through the Void. "And I know what to do."

What was it he would do? What could he possibly do to rid myself of such perverse dreams? I couldn't help them. They were subconscious thoughts brought to the surface. Did he know of a way to stifle the subconscious for good? Before I knew it we left the Void, bringing us back to Italy. However, it was a part of it I hadn't seen before. I saw a fireplace in the corner, with a comfortable looking chair sitting in front of it. In front of that was a grand bed, covered in red sheets.

I was in his bedroom.

I was in the Boogieman's bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

I tried backing up but his grip on my wrist held firm. "W-what do you have in mind?"

"Don't play coy. I see what you long for in those dreams of yours." He forced me back a step. "You want to feel my soft touch." Another step. "You hope for me to be a gentle man." And another. "You want me to touch you in such intimate ways." And another. "And you want me to take you, to make love to you." Another. "I have one thing to say to you about that." I felt a shock run through my body as I hit the wall hard. "I am not a gentle man." He held his arms on either side of my shoulders, effectively pinning me between, quite literally, a rock and a hard place. I say hard place due to something _very_ hard below his waist pressing against my leg. "When I do this, I don't make love to anyone. I fuck, and I fuck hard." He rolled his hips against my leg, making something tremble in me.

He was trying to scare me into denying him. He thought I only lusted after him and he was trying to make me turn away.

He was only turning me on.

I had been wearing leather pants for awhile now, finding them more practical than dresses. The rubbing of his soft cloth against my leg, his own pressing against my center with every thrust, he was slowly driving me mad. "You can't scare me away that easily, Oogie."

I looked at his surprised face as it turned into a grin with his chuckle. "Did you call me Oogie?"

I met his grin. "I might have. Why? Can't I give you a pet name?"

His grip shifted to my wrists, holding them up and pinning them to the wall. "I am not your pet." He showed his teeth. His snarl faded into a neutral expression as he saw my surprised face. He turned it into an amused smirk. "But I'll allow it." He continued his rolling, making me writhe against him. "I see you're enjoying this." His chuckle was such a deep rumble it sent chills up my spine. It was only made worse as I moaned and it became a wicked cackle. "Well now, if you're enjoying it so much…" He leaned to my ear and dropped his voice to a seductive whisper, "Why don't you come for me? I think you can do that for me."

I wasn't sure what he meant. I had only had sex once in my life. Nothing came from it. No joy, no pleasure, and certainly not this much anxiety. I had pleasured myself, due to my fear highs, but it was nothing like this. Something was building inside me. Intense heat flew from my sex, setting it ablaze with prickling pleasure. My heart rate increased, my throat went dry. I leaned back against the wall, keeping my hips just as they were, not wanting him to stop. My head tilted back with a mewling sound escaping my lips. I was on the verge of screaming. My heart was pounding against my ribs.

"That's it. Let me make you come for your master."

My body gave a quick jerk against him before I felt something I had never felt before in my whole twenty-one years of life. I learned very quickly what he meant by making me come. That was just what it felt like. My eyes clenched closed and a scream escaped me. My nails dug into my palms as I jerked against his leg, my whole body quivering. "God, Pitch! D-don't stop!"

He chuckled, sinking his teeth into my neck, intensifying the pleasure. My head went light as my fingers arched into claws against the pleasure. "God has nothing to do with it, love," he said into my throat as his pace slowed down. "It's all me." He kept his leg still. "Now, do you still want me? It will only be my pleasure from here on out. You will please your master, and if I'm satisfied, I'll reward you. You can still back away. You can still leave unscathed, Hana."

I held firm, eyes hooded in post-orgasmic lust. "I still want you."

His grin returned and he let me go. "I know you hate the marks, so I've brought you a gift." He pulled a wide piece of leather from the inside of his cloak.

I looked at him incredulously. "A collar? I know I can be a bitch, but this is a bit much, isn't it?"

I made him laugh at least. "I'm only trying to help, Hana, you know this. And I've faced bitchier." He stood behind me and fastened the collar around my throat.

"Owners usually collar their pets."

"You catch on quick." He turned me around, placing his fingers to the material. "It's missing something…" He held on to it and encircled the bend in shadows. A D-ring and a skull charm materialized in his palm and he gave a small smirk. "Owners also tag their pets."

My breath hitched in my throat as he let the charm go and trailed his fingers down my clothed chest. "Just because you found me and trained me doesn't make me yours." I almost hated how he could make me breathless. "However, I suppose everything else you've done for me does. The moment you ask me to jump through hoops, your pet will bite back."

He let out a dark chuckle that made a tingle run up my spine. A lead materialized in his grasp and he tugged me forward, letting me realize it had attached to the ring. "Ooh, I look forward to it." He stood in front of the bed and unfastened his cloak, tossing it and the gold cuff around his chest to the side. I hadn't seen him bare-chested in almost a year, and it still left me aching. I stopped breathing for a moment when he unbuttoned his slacks and pulled out his cock. He forced me down to my knees, bringing me face to face with it. I wasn't disgusted; I was fascinated with how it was darker than his whole body. My heart started to pound again as he stroked himself, knowing I was watching him pleasure himself. He sat on the bed, still moving his hand. He parted his legs and pulled the lead, making me crawl forward, staring at his cock. He chuckled and I chanced a glance upward. The fireplace was giving his eyes such a terrifying glow, making me shiver.

I loved it all.

"Touch it, pet. Don't be shy. You'll need to know it intimately."

I tentatively reached out to touch it just as he was, but he snatched my hand and wrapped it tightly around his shaft in his grasp. A sharp moan left his lips and his head tilted a bit. Had I hurt him? "Oogie? Am I doing well?"

A satisfied chuckle left his throat and he took our hands away for a moment. I frowned as he spit into his hand and wrapped it around his shaft. Once he was done he took my hand again and moved it just as before, now slicker. His hips jerked at the feeling and he showed his teeth. "You're doing very well. Now move on your own." He took his hand away again, still holding the lead tightly as he leaned back, watching me stroke him. "Mm, that's right." Out of curiosity I used my other hand, now able to cover most of him. "Ah, harder."

I increased my grasp and used my own saliva to make him slick again. Which gave me an idea. I had heard of such a thing while I was a human woman, listening to wives swap stories. Apparently their husbands enjoyed when their wives took them in their mouths. I could see the appeal. I wondered what he would taste like. From the aura he gave off, he would taste like something dangerous, something so dark it would only taint a person's soul if they got too close.

I wanted it.

Without being told I trailed my tongue up his shaft, feeling him jerk forward. I swirled my tongue against his exposed tip. He tasted exactly as I would have expected him to taste. Of pure, raw power. I pulled as much as I could in my mouth before I triggered my gag reflex. I could still hold him in place with one of my fists.

He growled and held on to my hair. "I see you jump right into the fun things." He steadied his legs and shifted his hips slightly against me, pulling his cock out just the slightest before shifting back. I flattened my tongue against him while he did it again, and he clenched his jaws together. "Where did you learn this, you naughty girl?" He hummed an approval as he kept his thrusts exceptionally shallow. I gripped his shaft tighter and swirled my tongue around his tip, getting intoxicated by his scent. "If you do that while I fuck your mouth this won't last long. Unless there is something else you want." He looked down at me while I nodded. "Are you still sure? I won't be taking you gently." He used his grip on my hair to pull me all the way off him, letting me gasp for air. "I won't be whispering sweet nothings in your ear as if I were a lover. I won't be asking if you are ready for me. You will submit to me in any way I desire. Do you still want me to fuck you?'

Powers above, I did. He had been driving me mad for two months. Any time I entered my fear high and I barricaded myself in my rooms, it had been his face I saw while I relieved the tension, his voice that would talk to me while I eased it all. The real thing was nothing compared to my visions. I had never made myself orgasm as he had. And he had only used his leg. I wanted to see what the rest of him could do. "I do."

As an answer he forced me on him again, using his grip to move me as he liked. "Give your master a release then. And don't spit it out. You'll be punished if you do."

I vaguely knew what he meant, and I knew it was coming by his ragged breathing from his slack jaw, his eyes hooded as he watched me move. He snarled and stiffened, his grip increasing in my hair. I felt the hot ropes of his seed hit my throat before I tasted it. His diet of fear and terror made it taste of sweet absolute darkness, of pure supremacy. I kept moving until he was spent, breathing heavy as his release faded. To please him further, I swallowed it all.

He pulled out of my mouth, slowly getting soft again. "Now I have a little while before I can get like that again. One of the few downfalls to being a man."

He pulled the lead up, making me stand before him. He unfastened the button to my pants and pulled the zipper down torturously slow. He made it halfway with his fingers before he started to use his teeth, making me nervous and excited. He started shifting the leathers down, exposing my sex to him. I didn't even want to stop him. I wanted him to see all of me. Everyone else in the world could be scared of him. I wasn't scared. I wanted him to be the only one to make me feel food. I gasped and held on to his shoulders as he licked me, dragging his tongue along the still sensitive slit of skin. I titled forward as he continued to slide the pants down my legs as far as he could reach. I kicked off my boots and stockings and stepped out of the pants, letting him toss them aside to who knows where. He nudged my legs apart so he could reach further back with his tongue. I gripped on his shoulders as he used his thumbs to expose my clit. The moment he began teasing the sensitive nerve my nails dug into his skin. It was a sensation I had never felt before. When I had sex the first time, there was no preparation. It had hurt, a lot. But I was so drunk I was numb to the brunt of the pain. I only felt the soreness the next day, and before I could properly react to it, I was stripped and thrown in jail, accused of witchcraft.

Was I scared of being sore again in the morning? Evening, really. Of course I was, but I would put up with it for him. He gave me everything I never really had. A home, a place of peace, a purpose. He gave me hope. And he gave me a reason to live.

I cried out as he added his fingers, flicking against the sensitive skin lightly. His deft fingers almost made me double over as I cried out for him. I was surprised with how easily he could send an electric shock through my belly, heightening my excitement. My nails dug in further as he slipped his fingers into me, curling them forward against something inside. I couldn't stand anymore. My knees were giving out. He didn't miss a beat as he hefted me up into his arms while he stood and turned me around. He fell with me on the mattress, placing me in such a way he was kneeling between my legs on the floor and he resumed his torturous actions. I squealed and bucked my hips, but he followed the whole way. Where the hell had he learned all of this? I didn't even know I could do this. I squealed and my back arched as the coil in my stomach wound ever tighter. I trembled and I screamed when the coil snapped, leaving me breathless. As with his leg, he slowed down before stopping completely.

"Move back a bit."

I did as asked, letting him kneel on the bed. He unbuttoned my red blouse, letting it fall open so I could hide nothing from him.

"This is what I am." He gave me no warning as he thrust himself inside my still tight walls, forcing a gasp to leave me as he filled me up with such force. I was given no time to adjust to him as he held my legs prisoner while he leaned over me. I didn't even care. I was still sensitive from before, and the fast thrusts were only making me climax again and again as he rode out the orgasms. Each one made him moan. He kissed my throat and bit into it hard around the collar, making me gasp again as he was relentless.

Then he did something I didn't expect. He kissed my lips. It sent such a shock through my body I immediately shifted them open so he could slip his tongue inside. It wasn't fair that he was good at so much, kissing included. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him in place, glad I had become somewhat flexible over the year. His thrusts slowed down suddenly and he pulled away, just looking at me, as if searching for something. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Yes. You're not scared of me. You're not terrified of what we're doing, not even anxious anymore. I don't think you've ever been scared of me. Why?"

There was no sense hiding it. He knew exactly why. He just wanted confirmation. "How long have you been alone, Oogie?"

He took my legs from his shoulders and let them lay against his sides. "Millennia. I only had the company of the moon, and even then he was silent. The others in our realm are not worth my time."

"Do you really want to continue to be alone? Do you really want me to run off scared of you?"

"Of course not. It is your choice. It's always been your choice since I met you."

"This time it is your choice. Do you want me to stay, or do you want me to leave? Which will it be?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I would meet the one woman who would stand up to me one day." His mirth faded and he looked down to my exposed chest. "I don't want you to leave."

I pulled his lips to mine in a scorching kiss, rolling my own hips against him. He hissed against my lips and moved with me, his hands traveling under my thighs to hold me up. I held him close as the waves of pleasure hit me again. This time I bit into his neck, muffling my cries of pleasure. It only made him groan louder, and I quickly realized something that turned him on immensely. I ran my sharp nails over his back and his hips jerked forward harder.

He growled into my throat. "Again. Bite harder."

I didn't need convincing. His pace became so frantic I had no choice. I made divots in his skin with my teeth, moaning into his flesh with every thrust, and he only gasped in pleasure.

"Scream for me, Hana."

I wasn't surprised when I felt a bit of liquid rush past my fingertips as my nails dug in to his flesh. At that point I would have screamed anything. "Pitch!" I could only gasp at his pace. His thrusts sent another ripple through my belly.

"Scream for your master." He was getting close again, I could tell. It was something about how he moved, how his expression changed so slightly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck for stability as an intense climax took hold of me. "I love you…"

He growled and pulled out of me, stroking himself until he spilled on my stomach with his lips pulled back in a snarl. I leaned up and kissed him again, surprised he still accepted it. It seemed he still had just a few bits of energy left. He kissed my throat, trailing his tongue over the exposed flesh. "Do you now?"

That was when I realized I had actually said that out loud. I had thought I said it in my head.

"I suppose that is acceptable. It would make this living arrangement complicated if you didn't."

I noticed something in the words that brought my attention to the surface. He could have been much rougher with me given his strength. He could have done a lot of damage, bound me in some way if he wanted to. Instead he had been, in his own way, gentle. Just rough enough to where I could get an idea of what to expect. I grinned. "You lied, you know."

"Have I?"

"You said you don't make love to anyone. What would you call that? You could have done a lot more to me."

He grinned and got up. "Exactly. You're not anyone."

My grin faded as he turned his back, looking for something to clean us both off with. "What?"

"You're not just anyone. You've grown on me the past year somehow." He found a towel and cleared off before tossing it to me.

I knew there was something he wasn't saying. He didn't have to. He showed it by pulling the sheets around us after I cleaned off and tossed the towel to the side. He let me curl up against him. The shadow lead had long since faded, but the collar stayed. I found I liked it, and what it represented. He wasn't the sort of person to throw his most vulnerable emotions around. I didn't expect him to. What he did physically made up for it all, and I understood what he wasn't saying.

In that moment I thought I knew him. I'd quickly find out I knew very little of the man I had spent a year living with. And I knew even less about what his kinks really were.


	4. Chapter 4

30 Day OTP Challenge  
Day One: Holding Hands  
Prompt Name: Stay

I started doing that 30 Day OTP Challenge, and so any of the prompts that I can't draw will be posted as chapters here. They're all one shots that have to do with their past anyway, so it works out. If you'd like to see the drawings made, hop on over to my deviantart account under the same name.

* * *

Three years had passed since I had returned to Venice. It would seem shadow stalking was harder to learn when pleasurable distractions were introduced. I found the distractions were required at times though. Some days were a bit rougher than others as the sun was rising. I did eventually learn shadow stalking, but afterwards he would conveniently remember another skill he could teach me, and draw it out as long as he could. After shadow stalking, it was blending in with the darkness. After that it was taunting. And finally, we got to disintegration into pure shadow. I almost brought it to his attention that he was suddenly remembering new spells to teach me, but how he brought up the final one, he asked it in such a way I couldn't.

November 1st, 1556 passed with ease. It was another successful night, and I was observing the timid looks the villagers in an Italian village were giving as darkness overtook the land. I had made that All Hallows night exceptionally scary, keeping the villagers on their toes for even the end of the next day. Having had enough of my observation I wandered into the woods, just enjoying the sight of the autumn leaves glowing even in the dark. The crisp fall air was refreshing in the growing dampness and I looked up at the orange tint of the full moon. I laid in the grass, smiling up to Manny's involvement in the night. It seemed even he could enjoy a good scare every once in awhile.

I only got more comfortable as another figure laid in the grass next to me, propping an arm under my head opposite of where he stretched out. "I think that had better results than last year, don't you?"

"You are getting better. What is it, your fourth now?"

I nodded, knowing he could still see half of me above the grass. "Yes. I'm starting to see what works best for them all. I wasn't aware most people were afraid of ghosts."

"People fear what they don't understand. The supernatural world is far too complex for many to comprehend. Children can believe easier due to their vast imaginations."

"And children are easy to influence as they grow."

We fell into a calm silence then, listening to the crickets, cicadas, and a far off owl. A few fireflies flickered about, breaking the complete darkness here and there. It was relaxing in a way, something I hadn't expected him to enjoy. On nights like these, we could see the clouds high above, and we started just gazing at them and the stars, commenting on what we saw. He'd tell me stories of his travels on Earth, of things he had seen and done through the thousands of years he wandered alone.

Sometimes he would ask questions about my life. Since I hadn't been around for a fraction of his lifespan, I didn't have many stories to tell. Tonight he stayed quiet for longer than normal. I glanced over to him, seeing his gaze focused on the moon. "What was the last thing I taught you?"

"Disembodied voices."

"Is it? I'm running out of things to teach you."

I smiled at the sky. I had learned long ago he was only prolonging the sessions. I was ready to get him to admit his true intentions. "I suppose it's time for me to leave Venice then and strike out on my own, if I've learned everything."

"There's still one more. I can still show you how to shift your body to the shadow plane, to become a dark form."

My smile only grew broader and I shook my head. "Oogie, I know what you're doing."

He had quickly accepted his pet name that I had given him, though made it quite clear he was not the pet in our relationship. "I'm doing something?"

"Yes, keeping me in the lair by making up excuses. I've learned enough, haven't I?"

"I suppose you have."

"So what is the real reason you want me to stay?"

He went quiet again and I let him have his silence. In the past three years, he had been kind, yes, but in a strange way unique to him. The night I had accidentally confessed I loved him, he had never responded. Even then he still had not verbally said he reciprocated that emotion. He wasn't the sort of man to dote upon his woman. He was telling the truth when he said he was not a gentle man. He had no endearments for me, no sweet words or gentle caresses. It wasn't in his nature. Quite honestly? I didn't want him to be sweet on me. I only wanted him to be honest.

I froze, my gaze locked on the sky as I felt his hand take mine in the grass. "How old are you now, Hana?"

"Twenty-four." I held my breath as his fingers played with mine for the first time.

"Do you know how old I am?"

"Older than I could count, I'd wager."

"Older than the human race."

The fingers locked with mine, holding them straight. "Why are you telling me this, Oogie?"

"I want you to understand the gap, and how much I don't care about it." I understood what he meant, and I clasped my palm against his, feeling him press back. "Time spent with you is enjoyable. Seeing you accepting the darkness so easily is reassuring, letting me realize there is someone like me in the world. Now I don't have to exert myself so harshly from now on when spreading my Nightmares."

I laughed to the sky, still amazed at how well our hands had come together. "Is that all I am, someone to take some of the burden of bringing nightmares to children?"

"Partially. But I want to keep you around to keep the boredom at bay. One can go slightly mad when having one sided conversations with the moon. At least the whispers and fears keep things interesting. Yours especially; they're very creative."

He was still beating around the bush, giving me vague excuses of why he wanted me to stay. I sighed and squeezed his hand. "It's just us, Oogie. You can be honest. I won't laugh."

He was quiet again, this time the silence tense. The only way he showed he cared was when we were alone in his bedroom, and that was when he was feeling gentle. His light demeanor towards me also gave it away, but there was nothing else. "You know how long I wandered alone, casting myself away from those ridiculous Guardians who believe the future is in the beliefs of children? The idiots wanted me to protect them. I had tolerated their existence to that point. Knowing they were chosen by the Man in the Moon made me stop talking to him as well."

"Sounds like you've been alone by choice."

"I wasn't about to protect those I scare. Then I stumble across you and find that your purpose is to monitor the night the realms brush together, and you chose to take it to your advantage to scare humans with it." He gave my hand a squeeze in return. "When I found you, you claimed to be alone, that you had nothing. I had nothing as well. Over the past four years, that's changed. I don't want it to go back to how it was." He brought our hands up and he leaned on his side, making me look at him. I was surprised when he pressed his lips to the back of my hand, hovering over the skin. "I'd like you to stay with me. Not just to learn abilities and continue helping me scare humans. I want you to share my bed for more than sex. I want you to stay."

I bit my lip and nodded after a moment. He leaned over me, kneeling between my legs and pinning our still joined hands over my head in the grass.

"I want you to know I do care about you, more than I could admit to." He used his free hand to press my leg further up his to rest on his hip. "And that is all I'll say on that, pet."

I expected the lead to form on my collar, as he usually did when he took command as another sort of master, not as my teacher. Instead he caught my lips with his gently, shifting torturously slow. I wasn't sure how to react. I had been so used to being handled roughly, I didn't know what to do. With the man before him, I laid there and took it, gaining no enjoyment from the experience. With him, I had only been taken roughly in any position he wanted at the time. He did realize I had limits in some of them though, and respected when I said to stop. Besides that, he did not handle me like I was a delicate flower.

I would have probably snapped if he had. To tell the truth, I liked it rough. I liked when he pinned my limbs down with his and shoved himself inside. I loved it when he took me with no intentions of slowing down.

However, I liked what he was doing now. Short, small kisses, still satisfying enough, stroking my leg over my pants, and gently keeping our hands joined. It was something I doubt anyone had seen before. All too soon he stopped and pulled away, leaving my head light.

"We should take this to that cave over there."

I frowned. "Why's that?"

"I take it you didn't notice how the moon has been dimmed." As the last words left his mouth a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead and rain began to pour down from the sky. He hefted me up and led me through the sudden downpour, into the cave he had mentioned that I hadn't even noticed earlier.

"It's been awhile since I've seen a storm at night." Lightning illuminated the forest, lighting up the droplets. "It's a lot more beautiful than during the day. With the sun out, it just looks ominous and depressing."

"You can see storms approaching during the day. You know it's coming. At night, it can strike at any time. It's a guessing game if you don't know what to look for. Even then it's a better sight."

We stood at the entrance of the cave, just watching and listening to the rain. It was then I realized he still hadn't let go of my hand. I smiled and gave it a light press. He returned the motion, but didn't let go. I don't know how long we stood like that, watching the storm, listening to the calming sounds interrupted only by loud percussions of thunder throughout the night.

In a way he didn't have to say anything, and probably never would. His actions spoke for him. And I accepted what they said. He cared enough about me to keep me by his side so he wasn't alone, and so I wasn't alone. He wanted me to stay so we both had something to hold on to. He showed me just a glimpse of a gentle side of him I hadn't seen in the four years I had lived with him.

I took a chance and leaned against his arm, and he didn't stop me. If he only cared about me, I could accept that. I didn't expect him to love me as I loved him. So long as he wanted me around, and wanted me to share his bed, not use it, it said enough. "Pitch?"

"What is it?"

"Thank you for everything you've done for me. And I will stay, not just to learn things from you."

He nodded and a smug grin formed on his face. "Well then, I think we should return to Venice. We started something out there that needs to be completed, wouldn't you agree?"


	5. Chapter 5

30 Day OTP Challenge  
Day four: On a Date  
Prompt Name: In Hoia Baciu

I'm working on making this a smut chapter, but for now it is fluff. When it is smut, I'll post it on adultfanfiction.

* * *

So far, this had been the worst date of my life. I had woken only to be blindfolded and told to not ask questions. "Where are you taking me?"

I shivered as I felt his warm breath tickle my ear. "Where would the surprise in that be?"

He had refused to let me ride alongside on Hessian. Instead he sat behind me in Onyx's saddle, with me still blindfolded. He was taking full advantage of that. "We've been on her for what seems like an hour. Can I have a hint at least?"

"No, and that's final." His hands ran up my chest and cupped my breasts. As soon as his hands squeezed enough to make me moan, they were gone, most likely finding a place on Onyx's reins again.

"Why are you teasing me? You know I hate that."

"All the more reason to do it."

I pouted and tried slipping my hand behind my back. He caught my wrist and I whined. If he wanted to tease, he would get a tease right back. "But Oogie, I can't take much more." I leaned back against him, though he still hadn't let my wrist go. "I need you."

He only let out a wicked chuckle, making me drop the pathetic lusty woman act. "Try all you like, I won't cave." He let my wrist go and I threw my hands up in defeat before crossing them, still leaning into his chest.

"Fine. Have it your way."

"I always do, pet."

Ten years. Ten years with him since the day I had turned and I still didn't know everything about him. I knew his interests, his passions, his… his skills. However, I knew he wasn't telling me everything. He deserved his secrets just as I did. It didn't make it any less curious when he did some of the things he did. Some days I'd wake to find the bed empty, and he would be staring at the fire, clasping something in his grip.

He had been around for many lifetimes. I didn't expect I'd ever know everything about him. He was a complicated man to begin with. I could probably hit the end of my human lifespan and still know a fraction of his life.

Speaking of which, I was thirty then, still looking like I was twenty. I learned I would never age physically, and nothing about me would change. How long I was meant to last now depended on just surviving each day. It was like him. He looked in his late twenties, early thirties, but it was only a ruse.

The air changed, letting me know we had left the Void, but as for where we were, I couldn't tell. It was cold, and I shivered a bit as a cold flake hit my nose.

I frowned. "Snow?"

"Yes. It's about the right time for it in November."

I heard a far-off cry, and I knew instantly it did not belong to any animal I could identify. I could see nothing through the blindfold and the darkness beyond it. I rubbed at my arms, trying to create some friction. He must have noticed because I felt a warm weight fall over my shoulders. From the faint wiggling sensations, he must have covered me in his shadow tendrils.

"Now, close your eyes."

"What does it matter? I can't see anyway."

"Just do it. And I'll know if you're peaking due to that glow of yours."

I sighed and did as asked. The blindfold came away from my face, but I still remained as I was asked to. "If you're trying to be romantic, this is the worst date ever so far."

"Don't be so quick to judge. I could be very romantic if I truly wanted to be, but where's the fun in that?" His hands laid on my shoulders. "Open your eyes."

I did and I was confused for a moment. Looking back at me was a sparse and dark forest, with its typical nightlife active. However there was something else active out there. Whisps of light passed by, an ethereal hum following them as they went. Cries and giggles sounded out, as did a few questions meant to be depressing. The colors and reverberations they gave off showed me a picture of beauty. I was taken aback with all the supernatural activity, just in this one place. The haunting calls of the dead made my blood boil.

And not in a bad way.

"What is this place?"

"Hoia Baciu. It's in Romania. One of the most active places on the planet." He used the shadow tendrils to slowly lower me from Onyx with him. He sent the horse off with a verbal command and I heard her snort and leave behind me. "I thought you might like an excursion like this so close to after All Hallows."

I looked around, still confused as to how the spirits were still so strong. "It's been two weeks since All Hallows. They should be resting."

"And yet they never do. There is something about the land that prevents them from resting."

"They're trapped."

"Yes."

"Is there anything we can—"

"No. They are not unhappy. They are not alone here, and are trapped with others. They use their numbers to their advantage and keep the trespassers at by. They've evolved to that extent."

"To an extent?"

"A good majority of these are residual. They would have been trapped here regardless."

I nodded. A residual haunt meant the spirit was just doing what it would do every day, or it even relived its dead every night. They weren't aware they were dead, and so could never rest. The other spirits were the ones I worked with. Those who knew they were dead, and either moved on or stayed behind to cause mischief. I pulled away from the tendrils. "How long have you known about this place?"

"Quite awhile now. I thought I'd bring you here so you could have the experience."

I crossed my arms and smirked. "What's the occasion?"

"Do I need a reason to be nice to you? If you don't like the location, I can take you back."

"No, no that's not it. It's wonderful and rich in everything, from fear to pure darkness. I only wondered why."

He cast his gaze past me, into the fog. "It has been ten years just about. Not the exact day, mind you, but after being around for so long, days tend to meld together regardless."

My expression softened as I realized what he meant. It was November 14, 1562. He had found me ten years and two weeks ago. And, he had changed my life for the better. "Oogie…" I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him gently. He responded, immediately intensifying it. I backed him into a thick tree and shivered at his encouraging hiss. I pulled away with a smile. "Only ten years, and you've made me feel more alive than I ever did for the twenty I was a human. I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"Have I? I would have expected you to be at least cross with me for how little romanticism I give you."

I shook my head and leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. "You're my Boogieman. I don't expect you to woo me and treat me like a pompous lady." I bit his ear, hearing his faint breath of surprise. I lowered my voice, pressing him further into the bark of the tree. "I want you to treat me like a proper woman, and give me what I want."

His cackle sent a shiver down my spine. "And what is it you want?"

I didn't answer him. Not verbally, at least. I pressed my hand against his robes, smirking at his sharp pull of breath.

"You're being bold tonight." He didn't stop me though and I started applying pressure. "Is it because you know you're being watched?"

"Let them watch." I lost a bit of confidence as he grabbed my wrists and switched us so I was against the tree before he pulled my shirt from my slacks. It wasn't gone for long. "I've changed my mind."

He paused in unfastening the cloth. "What?"

"Not that. Where we are, and why we're here." I tilted my forehead to his, being careful of my small horns. "This is one of the better dates I've ever been on. You can be romantic."

"Don't let the fact go far. I have a reputation to uphold and all."

I leaned back with a silly grin. "Oh of course. We can't let the world know Mr. Boogieman loves a woman!"

"No, we can't. Think of how much it would ruin me if the world found out I loved you."

I had been teasing. He had been as well, but that was the first time he admitted to it. The first time in ten years. As he said, the longer you're alive, the more the days blend together, but that… I could never forget it. And I wouldn't let him forget it either. My playful smile was replaced with a sinful one. "You said it."

"Said what?"

"You said you loved me." He threw my focus off as he pulled my shirt open.

"Things happen. Now be silent, or I won't do any of this at all and I'll leave you here to take care of it yourself."

I knew he'd make good on that threat and so closed my mouth of the subject. "Just one more thing?"

"One more."

I bit my lip at his piercing pale gaze. "Happy anniversary, Pitch."

He cracked a grin and let out a breath of a chuckle. "And to you, Hana."

Over the course of the night, he showed me just how much he really did love me. As we retreated at the early morning hours back to Venice, I leaned against him in the saddle, letting sleep come to my exhausted body. To this day it remains one of the best dates I ever had, as well as the most revealing.


	6. Chapter 6

OTP 30 Day Challenge  
Day 7 and 9: Cosplaying/Hanging out with friends  
Setting: After What Is Your Center? (**These are for a different challenge, I just loved the writings and thought this would be the best place to put them.**)  
I'm so far behind I'm combining two days. Also, NSFW. Also, if my French is wrong, feel free to correct me.

* * *

"I don't remember agreeing to this," he said as I straddled his legs, a very small batch of open cosmetics at my side.

"You did. I swear it. You did three months ago."

His face contorted in thought, making me pause in applying a few touches to his makeup. I could tell he was mouthing "three months" as if it would strike a memory. "What was three months ago?"

"July, dearest," I said, making him look at me again. I hadn't put my dress on yet, wanting to leave it a surprise. "We were invited to the Fourth of July party by Clara. You then proceeded to drink more than I've ever seen you consume and agreed to this. You then threw up on my favorite boots."

"Ah yes, now I recall." He rolled his eyes as I fixed the slick in his hair to keep it pressed to his neck. "I found new ones for you."

"You took your time in doing so."

"I like seeing you in your socks. Speaking of, why can't I see your bit until later?"

I tapped his nose and slid off his lap. "I like having surprises."

"So I've noticed." He spread his legs and shifted me between them. "But three surprises in one night? Don't do that to me."

I laughed as he leaned his head against my belly. "Well I'm sorry, I didn't want to keep that one from you. You did do half the work."

He glanced up at me, letting me see a hint of his mischievous smile. "You make it sound like it was an awful experience."

"Oh yes, it was so awful!" I grinned and put a dramatic arm to my head. "Oogie, you were the absolute worst lover that night. It was so awful, how could I let you impregnate me?"

In several fluid motions he had me pinned beneath him on the bed. "Yes, and your screams were so ear piercing and horrid. How could I do such a thing to someone so dreadful?"

His playful grin matched mine as I played with the lapel of his pinstriped dark jacket. "You made the worst choice in the dating game."

"The most abysmal girlfriend ever."

I tugged on his jacket, pulling him in a chaste kiss. "We can't have that."

He pulled me back, leaving me breathless. The way his lips shifted against mine was hypnotic, and his breath against my skin sent shocks down my spine. I felt his tongue push through, leaving me lightheaded. I barely noticed him move away. "You need to get yourself dressed. I'll keep them… entertained."

"Naughty boy. Don't frighten them too much. I want this to be a fun Halloween. They've been courteous enough to extend invitations to their holidays. We should do the same."

His jagged teeth gleamed in the light of the fire, framed by his mischievous grin. "What's Halloween without a good scare or two? Or three?"

I laughed and pushed at his shoulders. "Don't be wicked."

He got up from the bed and straightened the pinstripe suit we had found for him. He looked close enough to the character he was trying to portray, just as much as I would look like mine. "Don't leave me alone with those weirdos too long. I would like to see how you look as Morticia." He looked down at himself. "Hopefully not as strange as I look as Gomez."

I laughed and shook my head. "I'll look as good as I can with a skull-stained face and red horns. Go find them. I won't be too long." I bit my lip as a thought passed through my mind. "Oogie?"

"What?"

"Should we say anything?"

He arched a brow. "Is it their business?"

"It's not but they'll question it eventually when there's no hiding it."

He grinned and leaned in the open doorway. "You just want to tell someone."

I couldn't stop the stupid smile that broke out on my face as I nodded.

He sighed. "Do what you want, Hana. I won't be saying a word. This is your gathering anyway." He left me alone with that, allowing me to dress myself. I already had a specific order in mind. Black tights first, then dress.

I found the best time to get him to agree to typically ridiculous requests was to either feed him a lot of liquor, or send him on a potent fear high. Either way I had still been able to get him to agree to a Halloween party in the lair, which my Shadowbats then spent a month preparing for it, and the Skels had been preparing foods I couldn't even try. The Guardians had been so nice after everything had happened with Lucifer. Mainly because we all reached an agreement, finally finding some peace. We were invited to spend time with them in moderation, and so I wanted to show that we could do the same to keep the peace.

I was nervous though. Not for the people, but for the other surprise I had landed on him earlier. I hitched the tights up a bit farther, hooking them on my garter belt. I reached for the dress, deciding on the best way to put it on. Months ago, when we had all worked together to send Lucifer back to the depths with his lover, I had been given a gift from Manny. My cycles started again. I was able to give my tiny family something more after four hundred and sixty-one years. That such gift was brought to my attention when my cycle missed. I put a hand to my still flat belly after I summoned a 'bat to help close the dress. I couldn't help but laugh as I found the situation more humorous given the end of the movie I was currently in costume for. With the dress secure I moved on to pick up a wig I had found, since my hair only rested against my shoulders. I put it on and adjusted it, smiling at the black locks.

I didn't bother with makeup. There was no covering up the markings on my face. They were too dark. Satisfied with my attempts I stepped into a pair of black heels and slipped into the shadows, right in the middle of the party. I hadn't meant to go down that far, but it was worth it to see their faces.

"Oh well now it makes sense on why Pitch has that ridiculous suit on!" Jack said, sporting a giant rabbit costume. He looked pretty silly himself.

"You're one to talk," Pitch shot back. "One rabbit is enough!"

"Hey!" Bunny shouted from a different conversation with North. The Pooka had put on gear giving him a very Crocodile Dundee look. I had to stifle a laugh at North, who was wearing a dress children would imagine on Mrs. Claus. Clara Claus, the woman who was NOTHING like she was depicted, wore a long red coat as a female Santa, but a deadly one, not a sexy one.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming," I said, my heart threatening to escape my chest. "You've all been so wonderful to slowly accept us as more than an opposing force." I noticed my fingers twirling around each other and I tried to still them. "So I thought I'd extend an invitation for the same thing. And Pitch was cooperative enough to agree to behave himself tonight." I watched him roll his eyes. "So have fun, and we'll see how this goes. Happy Halloween."

I think I surprised them when the music started playing, started by one of my skeletons. Another opened the door from the catacombs letting a few of the remaining ghosts into the main chamber. More messed with lights. They seemed impressed through and applauded, making me take a bow.

The party went off wonderfully, and no arguments arose. Everyone behaved themselves, and by the time Clara heaved an intoxicated North into the sleigh and they all were gone, everyone knew the news. There was still one last song on the list, and I was surprisingly asked to dance to it. "So how dreadful was this?"

"Not as much as I would have expected," he answered as he spun me with ease. "It was especially good when a spider found its way into Frost's drink."

I grinned as we swayed. "I may have had something to do with that."

"Stop making me want to fuck you right here. You've already been doing that with the dress."

"Oh, then you wouldn't want to know that I made the Skel's eye fall into North's drink."

He growled and showed his teeth. "What more?"

"I put the worm in the apple Tooth pulled from the barrel."

He dipped me as the song ended, and I was reminded he was in fact graceful. I had forgotten he was a general at one point, and would have had to attend quite a few banquets. "So can I shed these atrocious garments once and for all?"

I nodded and watched as his shadows came to life, shredding the suit and reforming his clothes from before. The false moustache and layers of hair gel were gone as well. I pouted. "Well that's not fair, I have to physically change."

His grin still hadn't vanished. He took the wig off my head and dropped it to the floor. "It means I get to physically tear it from you." The grin faded a bit. "Not yet though."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just… surprised you wanted to do this."

I shrugged. "Sometimes, just acquaintances are good to have. They don't necessarily have to be friends." I looked him in the eye. "It's better to be on good terms than bad in times of need. Especially now that we have priorities to look after besides ourselves."

He curled his lip. "Stop making valid points."

I smiled. "Besides, you'll need male companionship soon when I start losing my mind." Though something else clawed to the surface. "What kind of cravings would I get? I can't eat."

"I've never knocked anyone up in this life. I couldn't tell you." When he was human, he had missions, battles to keep him from home while his wife had been pregnant. Now, he had no escapes. "It will be interesting to say the least."

"I'd hope so." I let him lead me through the shadows to return to our room. I didn't want to tell him I also wanted to show him that he was slowly being accepted. True enough, the others may never fully trust him. He had been a devil, and demon plucked straight from hell in the past. They had no reason to trust him at all. For now they had shown to be willing to be patient with him. Reassurance like that was something I really needed. In case anything happened, I wanted to know someone would be there.

I pushed him onto the bed, letting him lay out on his back. I hiked up the long dress and crawled over his hips. He grinned as he caught a glimpse of something. "You wore nothing under that dress all night besides a garter?" I nodded and he drew in a sharp breath, letting it exhale as a shaky laugh as I pressed against his growing bulge. "Fuck, you naughty girl…"

"Exactly."

He leaned up with me in his lap, reaching behind to unfasten the dress. "Isn't Morticia supposed to say something in French to make Gomez go crazy with lust?"

I giggled, "_Oui ma chérie._" He pulled the dress apart and latched on to my throat with a growl.

"Ah, I can see the appeal," he said against my skin as I took my arms from the sleeves.

While he pulled down what used to be the bodice I reached behind me and unfastened his pants. The moment he was free I slid on to his cock, making us both hiss. "Mm, oh that's it."

"This comes off then." He pulled the dress from my body. Instantly he took in the sight of me in just my garter belt, stockings, and heels. A primal moan left him and he latched on to my left breast, rolling the other in his hand.

I bit my lip and rolled my hips, spurred on by the residual powers of All Hallows. Each year it made me dominant, and he let it happen without complaint. By now he knew to accept it since I never left him unfinished. I took his wrists in my hands and bound them in shadows before pinning him down to the bed. My mind went foggy, and I had no filter at all. "Mm, fuuck, Oogie." I held myself up on his legs, catching his eye as I continued to roll my hips against him.

"What do you want of me? Otherwise I'll let you do everything. I won't last long either way."

I bit my lip and my nails dug into his legs as he shifted against me. "Shit… Fuck me, Kozmotis."

"In French."

I racked my brain trying to remember how to say it. I couldn't remember if it was gender specific or not. I growled, growing more and more frustrated. "_Je veux que tu me baises_, Kozmotis. _Fais-moi grimper au rideau._" If it was the right way to say it or not, I didn't care.

He chuckled and started to move, still too slow for my liking. But at least he knew what I was saying. "_Comment?"_

He was one of the worst alright. I showed my teeth. I only knew one way to say what I wanted to. "_Difficile." _He picked up his pace. Watching all his muscles strain to work against his restraints only heightened my excitement. It wasn't enough. "_Difficile." _He went faster yet, making my head fall back. I met his pace, every thrust making me cry out in pleasure. I was pushed over the edge as he bit his lip and started muttering curses while he twitched under me.

I leaned over him, giving him a better angle to thrust at. And, as he immediately did, he could play with my breasts. His thrusts slowed down to long jabs as his breathing grew ragged. I dug my nails in his chest, relishing his hiss. "I won't last, Hana. You feel too damn good."

"I want you to come." I dug the nails a bit further and his hips jerked. I slipped off him entirely, and almost regretted it. "Don't stop." I impaled myself on him, loving how his head tipped back. "You're not allowed to, is that understood?"

He purred as he started his pace again. "Yes, my Nightmare Queen." He went faster than before, harder than I could ever do. My voice caught in my throat. My mind went blank.

All I could do was scream. The orgasms turned into waves. I couldn't handle them all. I sank my teeth into his neck, holding on to his bound arms. As one orgasm left me speechless, it made a growl leave his throat.

"You're too tight." His breathing was heavy, and his cursing was getting more prominent. " F-fuck. I'm coming. I'm-"

I got off him and let him use my hand to finish off, spilling on to his stomach with a low, satisfied moan. Usually I would get up to find something to clean off with, but when I tried to get up, my legs wouldn't let me. The only thing I could do was fall over on my side. "You did it again. I can't get up." I released his bindings.

He grinned and leaned over to his side of the bed, pulling out a towel. "Good to know I took away your ability to walk again." He cleared off his stomach before handing it to me. "We should do costumed things more often. Gatherings included if we have to."

I nodded while he laid down with me for the night. "I'd like that." At least he was starting to accept the others as well. It's a funny thing what wearing a costume can do to you, and where it can take the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hana has started her own ask blog on tumblr. Look for her under the name askhanaeve. She is accepting any question at all pertaining to the Guardians, Halloween, or of herself. No question is too far out there. She has issued the simple challenge "make me blush."**

30 Day OTP Challenge

Day 8: Shopping  
Set: After "What Is Your Center?"

* * *

Shadows cannot create everything. Not for me, anyway. For him, he never had to bathe, never really had to change clothes. He did join me in the pools often enough but his excuse was to usually see me naked. Not that he needed an excuse. _"It's something about your wet skin. Don't ask why."_ So I never did.

Regardless, he could manipulate shadows to do what he wanted because he was a shadow himself. He only took the form he was in now for reasons I couldn't quite understand. Something about lingering human emotion. I couldn't do quite as much with shadows as he. I could manipulate them, I could do all sorts of things, but shedding layers of the day/night, creating things like furniture, it wasn't in my talents. For this, I didn't want there to be.

Of course it meant I had to steal a few things, but, well, whatever. Whenever I needed something physical, stealing was my only option. Though it did help that I could slip through the Void to get to places. I typically went on these runs alone, but tonight, I wanted the company.

"We'll need it all eventually," I argued. "The shops are closed for Christmas. And it's better to do it now than when I'm tripping over myself or whatever it is women do in my situation."

"What would the child need that I can't form myself?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what they need. The closest I can compare it to is a dog."

He tried to keep a straight face but he failed. A snort escaped, which made him put a hand to his face in amusement.

"Well excuse me, but one of us has never had a baby before!"

His mirth faded as he caught on. "You're scared."

"Damn right I'm scared; did you have to read me to know that?"

He went silent for a moment, thoughts running behind his pale eyes. I took the moment to calm myself down. I had been scared since the day I found out. I had been barren for four hundred and sixty-one years. I had accepted the fact I would never be a mother. I had been a twenty-year-old woman when I died who had only had sex once. I was sentenced to death almost immediately after that. So there I was, almost five hundred, just now having a baby. I think my fear was well placed.

"You win. You shouldn't be looking for things on your own anyway if the only thing you can compare a child to is a dog."

I rolled my eyes. "It's the only thing I could think of."

"However, let me illuminate the situation." He leaned against the back of his chair by the fire. "Humans will give their children the brightest things imaginable. Blue and pink everything. White cradles with happy little mobiles. Think of all the nursery setups we've seen over the years. That's all you'll find in these shops." He crossed his arms. "Now if that's what you want, I'll help you. If not, I can form things myself into something more suitable that wouldn't stick out so tremendously horrid here."

The sneaky devil made me realize I had never won in the first place. "I hadn't thought of that."

I wanted to slap his smug grin. Or kiss it. I couldn't make up my mind. Pregnancy hormones. I could do without them. He motioned for me to come closer to him and I did, letting him pull me into his arms. "I know you're scared, Serah. How do you think I feel? Don't let it get to you though. It isn't hard when you get used to it."

"You were barely home for your daughter though," I snapped, knowing full well he didn't deserve it. "You were always at war."

If the words bothered him he made no indication of it. "I know. I want to make up for that this time." He pushed me back enough so I could look at him. "I'll still take you around. If you see anything, we'll take it."

I nodded. Any excuse to get me out of the lair. I couldn't ride Hessian anymore due to a few reasons, and so nights had gotten dull as I had to let my Shadowbats and Pitch have all the fun. If I wanted to do anything myself I'd have to travel the Void alone and be limited to what I could reach on foot. Which, even as a Spirit, hurts like hell. Excuse the expression.

"See, I can be a fair Boogeyman when I feel like it."

"Stow it and let's get this over with."

The whole night he taught me things about children I never would have even thought to factor in. When you looked at his situation, it was hard to believe that the man who plagued children's dreams would have ever been a loving father. After knowing him for so long, I still had trouble believing it. But, when I thought about it, it made the most sense. He knew things about children most didn't. Their darkest fears. What made them squirm. What their most dire secrets were.

I held a black stuffed bear the size of my torso close to my chest as we stopped on a snow-laden bridge. My gaze was taken to the gondolas, ready to be taken out in the morning if it wasn't too cold. I pulled my coat tighter and stood close to his still form, trying to glean some heat from him. "Jack has been busy, I see."

"Yes, and I think North has already done his rounds here for the night."

"I'm sorry I dragged you out into the cold just to find one stupid bear."

"Honestly? It's nice to do something mortal from time to time. Makes the monotony of eternity something I can tolerate again. I don't stop often enough to look at what they can make in such a short time."

"It's been centuries though, thousands of years over here." I frowned and looked at him, catching his gaze. "That's not a short time."

He chuckled and moved to stand behind me, leaning on the rails of the bridge, effectively warming me up. "You forget how long I've been trapped here, and how long I was a renegade space pirate for, and the days I was human. They all add up."

I had to give him that. My existence alone was something of a blip in time for him, despite being almost five centuries old now. "What was it you used to do as a human? As a general in the Golden Age?" I paused before adding, "As a husband."

"Well, as all that I did the usual. Fight in wars, avoided being killed. My wife was skilled with those kitchen knives." I snorted as he continued. "When I was home I took her around similar to this, let her have what she wanted. I didn't mind being taken to the shops. So long as she was happy, so was I."

I grew quiet and held the bear closer. I knew it was a long time ago, and that his wife was long dead, but he still did love her in a way that he would still never love me.

"Now this is where we call it a night and get out of the cold. I'll figure out what else the growth will need and work on it."

"Before we do, what about a Nightmare run? It's been awhile since I've been with you doing it."

He laughed and leaned against my ear. "When have you known me to turn that request down?"

"Never."

He pulled away and offered me his arm like a gentleman. "Well then, we should be working, my Queen."

I took the arm with a laugh, still holding on to the bear. I may not have gotten the proper shopping down that I initially wanted to do, but I could at least have some of my own nightmares. And that in itself was a vast improvement. I say it would make the most sense, him being the perfect father figure, due to his intimate knowledge of fear. Most parents will only hear a child's dreams, and so know how to support them and push them in the right direction. Most would never hear the nightmares. The fears. Most would never know the child's nagging thoughts while they led them along. Pitch would know exactly what they were, and would know how to prevent it. Or make it worse. That made him a more sensible father figure than any of the others. I bit my lip and glanced at him with a half smile. "I love you."

He let out a chuckle. "What brought this on?"

I shrugged and tucked the bear under my free arm to rest my hand under the slight protrusion. "It just feels right to say is all." I bumped into him as we walked. "Why, don't you?"

He only continued to grin. "What, love me? Why of course I love myself. I'm fantastic and delightfully evil, and, according to your subconscious self, deliciously sinful."

"Oh so you did see that dream? Good, now you know what I'd like later."

"We do have plenty of chocolates left over from Halloween that the Skels haven't dug into."

"Mm, looking forward to it." Fucking hormones. Again. It wasn't like I could even eat the chocolates. Though he could... _Oh hormones, please stop_. "So really, don't you?"

He sighed, his wicked grin fading. "Honestly Hana, I've no idea what you're talking about."

Him and his devious tricks. "Don't you love me?"

"See, why couldn't you just say that from the beginning?"

I rolled my eyes and hit him with the bear. "You're dodging my question."

"No, now you're dodging mine. And hitting me with the poorest representation of a bear I've ever seen."

I pushed on his shoulder, sending him into an alleyway that would lead to the inner-city areas. "Why can't you say it?"

"I can say it just fine. The question is, do you want me to?"

I was starting to get so flustered, the only thing I could do was laugh and lean my back on the opposite wall. "You're a nightmare."

"Well I am king of them. Wouldn't I be one myself?"

Just his quirky expression made me laugh again, and I took his hand when he offered it. "You do deserve that title, you know."

"You deserve the title of Queen just as much." He took me back to the path we were on, venturing towards the residential areas. We walked in silence for awhile, and it was all we really needed. I teased him a lot, and he teased back. He wasn't one to verbally express himself like that. He could physically just fine, and usually his subtle actions would be enough. The small glances, short kisses when no one was looking if he was in the mood to be sweet, a squeeze of my hand, shoulder, or leg. Little things not many would notice. They were enough, and honestly more personal. I almost jumped as he broke the silence. "I love you."

I hit him with the bear. "King of Jackasses. That's what you are. King of Nightmarish Jackasses."


	8. Chapter 8

OTP 30 Day Challenge  
Day 10 and 11: Wearing animal ears and wearing kigurumis  
Setting: After What Is Your Center?

* * *

"There is no way you'll get that on him. I'm surprised you got the dog ears on him."

"Challenge accepted, Clara." She shook her head as I carefully pulled the panda sweater over my head. It was then I understood just why Clara had handed me the bear one. "Oh haha, the marks on my face."

Clara gave me a quick forced smile and glanced over to our men as they were discussing something in an intoxicated manner. "Blame Phil." She snorted at the dog ears that were falling haphazardly off the Boogeyman's head. "His is funnier I bet from the color."

"He's on drink what, six?"

"I think so, yeah."

"He's gone then. Everything else will be a blur." I grabbed the black sweater and trotted up to the men, Clara at my heels. "Hey there."

He held on to my hips when I got close enough. "Mm woof woof. I've got a bone for you, love."

I would have been embarrassed had it been anyone but North and Clara. "I've got one more thing to ask you to do. Can you do it?" I pouted.

"What is it?"

I held up the sweater. "Can you put this on for me? Clara says you wouldn't do it."

"Oh I wouldn't, would I? Since when does Mrs. Claus know anything about the Boogeyman?"

I held back my laughter as he took the sweater from me and I took the rest of his highly spiked eggnog, handing it to North as he started to chuckle. "I never knew he was so entertaining inebriated," North muttered. "We must do this more often."

My laughter burst past my restraint as I noticed purple horns and a purple underbelly. "Oh my, Clara, he's Maleficent!"

He looked at me in confusion before he looked down at what he was wearing. Then he must have noticed what I was wearing. "Why the hell do you look like a dead panda?"

I rolled my eyes. "I get it. The markings. Haha. At least I'm cute."

"At least I'm a badass." His eyes lit up and his grin broadened. "You said I was Maleficent?"

I nodded.

"Well then Hana, I have something you can prick your finger on." His brows shot up suggestively and I laughed, backing up.

"No way," I said through my giggles. My laugher sputtered as he sank into the shadows. "Not fair!"

He appeared behind me, pinning me playfully. "Sorry to cut this short North. I have to go put Aurora here to sleep with my spell."

I looked to Clara and North apologetically as we faded into the Void, their stunned faces being the last thing I saw.


	9. Chapter 9

He had tried teaching me how to reform my body to clean myself, but I just couldn't let go of a nice relaxing soak. He had rolled his eyes and led me out the front doors of the palace below ground. I had only been there a week, and so found myself lost very easily. I didn't want to add on to the confusion by needing to learn a vast wilderness to just bathe.

Luckily he stopped right outside the doors and pointed to where a bit of light reflected off gentle lapping waves a few feet blow. "The palace is frozen in time by my will to not slink further into the water. So, if you wish to continue to bathe, you may do so here."

I looked around. "But…"

"But what?" He leaned on his staff and grinned playfully. "It's just the two of us down here, Hana. And I rarely come out here. I can see the globe from any window on this side." He nodded to the bridge leading to the globe. "You can hide under one of the arches if you think I'll peak."

"Yes, I wouldn't want to blind you, Pitch. I'm not much of a looker naked anymore."

The grin faded. "Not that I'm interested, but why say that?"

I had gone from wearing dresses to slacks and tunics in the week, finding them more comfortable and versatile. In the week, we had learned I couldn't digest food any longer. My heart worked, I still bled from wounds, I could still breathe. I wasn't sure about anything else, but I would find that out soon enough. However, now that I fed by absorbing fear, my body changed. I was starting to be leaner. The slacks that had fit me perfectly a week ago now slipped down my hips and I had to use a leather strip to hold them up. My human dresses would have fallen from my shoulders. I was starting to get scared at the weight loss. I didn't want to end up skin and bones. "I'm too skinny."

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Hold that tunic up for me." I balked at his response and my fingers twitched. "So I can see your stomach. Nothing more." He must have noticed my skeptical gaze. "If I wanted your body I would have taken you by now. Lift the tunic."

I was surprised to feel a little insulted. I sighed and loosened it from the slacks. I bunched it up and raised it to under my breasts.

"There, now I can see. You still have curves. I see no bones besides your hips, and highlights of ribs, just as I should see on a woman. You can drop it."

I did so, not bothering to tuck it back in. "I'm still thinner than I was. What if I keep fading away to nothing?"

"You would have by now."

"And how do you know that?"

His gaze grew surprisingly dark and he took his weight off his staff. "I've seen people die of starvation under duress. Trust me, with how much your body has changed, you would have perished by now." He nodded to me. "That's how you'll look forever now." He narrowed his eyes and frowned, looking past me.

I frowned and looked as well. "What is it?"

"I don't know. It looks like… no, it can't be."

"What?" I couldn't see anything and it was driving me mad.

"It looks like…"

The next thing I knew I was thrown into the water, shocked by how cold it was. I shot to the surface, gasping for breath, glaring up at his laughing form. "King of Jackasses is what you are, Pitch Black!"

He leaned on his staff again, and I wanted to tear that grin from his face. "I needed some way to shut you up about false images of your body. You women are all the same. What is it this century? Do you have to be fat or skinny to show how wealthy and vain you are?"

My eyes widened and I swam to the rocks that would bring me back up to the entrance of the palace.

He shrugged and plucked the staff from the ground. "Appearance shouldn't mean anything. Don't waste your time on it when you could be invoking fear in the hearts of children and having fun with it."

"Pitch…"

He frowned as I hauled myself out of the water. "What?"

"So you are a gentlemen underneath all that shit."

He rolled his eyes as I approached him again. "I'd rather not hear you whine about something that isn't worth anyone's time. And why are you grinning like that?"

Before he caught on I hugged him, instantly soaking his robes. "Admit it; the Boogeyman has a heart!"

"Oh you wicked woman! I'll get you back yet."

I leapt away from him as he went to grab me. "Come catch me then, Master."

* * *

Two years later and I hadn't changed at all. Not that I could see. The only thing that had changed was how often my legs were sore for days and how often I was covered in bite marks. I had only started sharing his bed for a month before I realized just how dominant he could be. As a human, I would have been reserved and scared of the things he did. Now, I couldn't get enough. I was slowly accepting being bound with the condition he used the shadows. Real rope would ruin everything. And his hands were not allowed near my throat in any way.

We had been intimate for a year now, and I had been accepting everything he offered. If there was anything I didn't like, he didn't do it. If anything hurt, he would stop as soon as I told him too. When I say hurt, I mean _really_ hurt. Something that hurt that wasn't meant to hurt. He had been getting experimental with places as well. The last place I had ridden him was in one of the gondolas above ground in the middle of the night. It had been my idea, only due to how horny he had been on that Nightmare run. Though that had been a few days ago. I had no idea when the mood would strike him, or me, and so could never know what to expect.

A few days ago had been the last time I had bathed as well, and was starting to feel it. So far as I knew he wasn't home, and so I slipped through the shadows with a towel, emerging outside the front doors as I had quite a few times now. I stood on a large flat rock that jutted out over a deep part of the river. I tugged my tunic from my pants and pulled it over my head, tossing it on the rock. I kicked off my boots and reached to unlace the leathers of my pants.

I froze for only a moment as I felt a familiar aura hidden close by. I hid a sly smirk and played with the laces to the leathers, taking my time untying the knot. Once it was free I slid them torturously slow down my thighs, bending over as I did so. I could feel the aura darken dangerously. I was teasing him, and that was usually never a good idea. I felt playful that night. And knowing he was watching made a flash of excitement wash over me.

I found I liked being punished for teasing him.

I stepped out of the slacks and leaned over on a nearby rock to pull my black stockings off. I ran my hands up legs kept smooth out of preference, and he quickly found he liked me bare. I made a second pass over the juncture of my hips, and a third before traveling all the way up, passing over my breasts. The aura was blacker than before, more untamed. I couldn't repress a shiver that broke through my act at it. I rubbed a kink in my shoulder, letting out a small, almost unintentional moan. Unable to draw it out longer, I dove into the water, finding it to be the only way to bypass the initial shock of the river. I broke the surface and scrubbed at my hair, tilting my head back to soak it all again.

I looked around, still not seeing him, but I could for sure feel him. I trailed my finger over my slit, feeling my slicker juices under the water. I bit my lip and did it again, moaning this time. The aura grew heavier and I only continued on, holding myself open with my other hand. I couldn't stop the whimpers that left me if I wanted to. I had been too turned on to care. The plan was to play around and talk dirty to him as if he were touching me, riling him up further. However, I found myself disinterested in my own plan. I wanted to come. It was just out of my reach and I was getting frustrated.

I almost drowned as I panicked at a wriggling sensation pressing against me under the water. I let out a breath of relief as I realized what it was. "You unbelievable jackass."

His voice answered in a warped, disembodied way, "I thought I was King of Jackasses, love."

I gasped as the tendril slipped inside. "This better be you."

"It is. Mm you feel good tonight." The voice pressed against my ear. "Don't stop touching yourself." More tendrils held me up as the other began to curl against something inside me. My back arched against the pleasure and my fingers jerked. All the while his pace held firm. The two combined were making me weak. Even disembodied he could make his voice breathy and seductive. "That's it. Make yourself come."

I moaned against a brush of shadows against my breasts. "Mmn, Oogie…" I barely noticed the aura taking me to the flat rock from before, letting me lean my knees on a rock just below the surface. His guise of a man rose from the shadows, completely naked. The tendrils still extended from his body, never breaking pace. He kneeled on the rock, making me look up at him. He held on to my jaw, watching my expression change as I continued to pleasure myself, as his shadows continued to fuck me. I couldn't read him. He seemed pleased, but sad for some reason. His gaze dropped down to my fingers, sending another rush of excitement through me.

He pulled me to his lips, dominating my tongue with his. I was getting so close. I whimpered against his skin. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me away from his lips so he could stand. "Can't let you have all the fun." He stroked himself in front of me. "What do you say, Hana?"

I nodded and flicked my tongue against his tip, immediately hearing him hiss in satisfaction. He used his grip on my hair to move me in time to the shadow strokes. It was all too much. I mewled into his flesh as my core was set ablaze.

He pulled me off him as I reached my limit. "Don't hold back. I want to hear you and see you come."

The shadow's pace increased at the last minute. Everything exploded. My head went blank and I felt almost anxious for a moment as I forgot how to breathe. I screamed and I didn't care who heard me. My muscles pushed him out of me and I felt something else come out. Until then, I had only thought it was a rumor that women could expel liquid during orgasm. My body twitched as my fingers brushed against my clit, and it almost hurt to breathe.

"I can't remember the last time I was like this." He chuckled and leaned down into the water. He seemed to be unaffected by the cold. "You are such a naughty girl." He pressed against my back, slipping between my legs. I hissed as he brushed against me. "I see you're still sensitive."

I could only reach up and grab his hair as he pressed his thumb to my clit and slipped into my thighs, teasing me past my breaking point. My hips rolled against his while he ground against me. I felt a tug on my hair as he made me keep my head back. I couldn't take much more. I reached back to hold on to his hips. "Master, please."

"Please, what?" he growled.

"Please, take me. Fuck me." I felt him pull away completely, only to suddenly come back, filling me up instead. "Oooooh yes."

He hissed while he pushed in as far as he could go. "Hell you're tight." He pulled out and slipped in further, stretching me more. "Mm, you like when your master fucks you, don't you, pet?"

A moan caught in my throat as he pushed further. "I do. Fuck me more." His pace instantly grew rough and he pinned my wrists behind my back. "Oogie…"

His teeth sank into my shoulder, making me lightheaded again. His pace met no rhythm. It was wild and raw. I haven't seen him like that too many times since then. He growled as I gasped and cried out for him. He bit me while I yelped in pleasure. He dug his fingers into my hips as I begged for more. He had no problems giving me just that.

My walls quivered and clenched around him as he drove me over the edge again. My vision went blank and I almost slipped forward. I begged him not to stop. Listening to him moan as he took pleasure from me made me hotter. Even his breathing as it grew ragged and sharp turned me on more. From it I could tell he was getting close.

His thrusts became frantic. He pressed against my body, holding me to his chest with one arm and stroked my clit with the other. A vicious growl left his throat and his fingers left my clit as his cock took their place while he came hard. A firm press against me set me off as well as his hips continued to jerk, making me arch against him. He slowed his pace, twitching as a few rogue drops came out. "You can't squeeze like that. It feels too good."

I finally started to realize my legs were getting numb from the cold. "Oogie, I need to get out. My legs are freezing."

He let me up without complaint, allowing me to get the towel to dry off. "Do you remember what I said to you two years ago? About your form?"

I paused in drying my hair. "What about it?"

"I believe it's safe to say you will stay that way forever." He looked me over, getting out of the water. "Hips jutting in just the right way, ribs that catch the light as they should. The bones you show are still attractive."

I nudged him with my hip as he got closer. "Being sweet all of a sudden?"

"I'm allowed to be when I want to. Don't get used to it."

"I couldn't imagine you a sweet man. Picnics and the such, romantic serenades, they're not your calling."

"All true, but I can be a romantic man when I wish to be."

"Prove it."

"Why should I?"

"Why not?"

He rolled his eyes but grinned. His shadows surrounded him and formed his robes and gold bindings. Another shadow created his staff. "I would fall for a woman with a brain and the mouth to go with it. Very well. You shall be swept off your feet in the Boogeyman way."

Without another word he vanished, leaving me naked outside the palace, alone and still in a post-orgasmic haze. It took me a moment to remember which was to go initially to get to the proper level of the palace.


	10. Chapter 10

I went and skipped ahead a fair few amount of days. I'm sorry, I had an idea for this prompt and I had to. Not like it matters. :3  
30 Day OTP Challege  
Day 18: Doing something together.  
This is NSFW, and gets darker than I originally intended. I regret nothing. But hey, you get some sex to soften the blow!  
Don't forget to drop by Hana's ask blog to send her a question about anything you ever wanted to know in the ROTG world. :) You can find her at askhanaeve .com

* * *

"It's not a good idea, Hana. I don't even understand why you'd want to see them."

"I want to see if anything's changed in the past six years."

He tossed his staff back and forth in his grasp while he sat back in his chair by the fire. "You're supposed to be dead. You were supposed to be buried. How do you think they reacted when they saw your body missing from those that were supposed to be six feet under and rotted?"

I felt a little sick. "Please don't be that colorful."

He shifted in his chair. "My apologies. I forget that you would have no fond memories of that day." He gripped his staff and stood with its support. "You'll find nothing good by going back there. Don't do that to yourself. Sometimes it's better to let go of the past."

"I just want to see. I don't want to do more than that."

"And if you're caught?" He straightened his spine, reaching an intimidating height. "They'll do worse to you a second time around, especially when your corpse up and ran off." He must have sensed my intimidation and he shrank some. "They hanged a witch and her dead body would be up running around staring at them six years later. They'd do horrible things to you if you were caught."

I still held firm. I knew he was telling the truth. It would be bad if I were caught, especially with how I looked now. Once I had pale skin from staying indoors most days, long dark hair, and light brown eyes. I had the same face shape as ever, but I don't know how well I could be recognized with the dark skull markings on my face. "I know the consequences."

He pressed his lips together, looking me over. He sighed. "I don't understand why you're so willing to go back."

I dropped my gaze, rubbing at my arms. "Despite everything… they're still family. They're all the blood I have in the world."

"If this is because you haven't gotten pregnant yet, there's other ways to—"

"It isn't that. I only want to know how they're doing. As for that…" I held my hands steady and turned away to the bed. "We've been trying for a year now. I don't think it will happen. Not with my cycles nonexistent." I sat on the furs that made up his— our— comforter. "I know you want children. I do as well. I just don't think I can provide that anymore." I pulled my legs up and crossed them.

"If that is the situation, then there's nothing that can be done." He stood in front of me, leaning his staff against the wall. He made me look up at him. For all his rough and nasty appearances, it still amazed me six years later that he could show me a face not many have seen from him. He gave me a genuine smile, despite the sadness hiding behind his eyes. "You may have no other blood in the world, but you do still have other family."

True we hadn't married, and probably never would, but his words did hold truth. I don't think I could have ever called him my husband. I didn't need to though. He already acted the part when he wanted to. I smiled back. "I know I do, Oogie. I need to do this. I need closure."

He sighed again and let go of my chin. "I should have expected as much. Whatever happens, do not get caught. You're on your own for this."

"I'll stick to the shadows." I stood and moved around him, standing on the cast shadow from his chair.

"Fight or flight, Hana. Do not forget."

I nodded and sank into the shadow, summoning Hessian as I went. We entered the Void, and I took one of the paths that I knew would lead me close to the old village. The whole time we traveled the Void, my heart pounded against my chest. My throat went dry. I was anxious and scared. I wasn't sure what to expect. When Hessian leapt through the exit, we emerged into a dense forest, still dimly illuminated by the setting sun. A nearby river broke through a bird song.

Hessian trampled a few of the green bushes, tossing his head. _I don't like it._

"I know. But I have to do this." I swung off his back into the dimming green. Fireflies broke through the twilight hours, snatching my attention while I grabbed Hessian's reins and pulled him forward. I passed by the lake I had stopped at and was told my new purpose. Where my new life began. No spirits roamed the woods then. It wasn't close enough to All Hallows. It was closer to Bunnymund's time of action.

I took in my surroundings as the sun faded to nothing, immersing the woods in absolute darkness lit only by fireflies and my eyes. Not even the moon was in sight tonight. The sky was just as dark as the forest. I stopped short the moment I heard music coming from the village. My heart skipped a few beats. I swallowed hard to steady my nerves, but it couldn't be done. "What the hell am I doing?"

Hessian nudged me closer to the sounds. _Get your closure. _

I bit my lip and nodded. I slowed my pace considerably and walked towards the village, keeping to the outskirts. Any time a person came too close I fled into the shadows and waited for them to pass by. I wasn't sure if they could see me, but I didn't want to tempt fate. I watched from the shadows as life continued on as if nothing had happened six years ago. Children that were children then weren't children anymore. There were new children here and there. Parents that I once did trades with ushered their offspring into the homes while the men went to the tavern to drink and talk about the day.

Nothing had changed.

I looked around and froze as my gaze fell on the gallows. The rope still hung menacingly back at me, and my throat and wrists began to burn. Even after six years, the gallows still stood as a reminder. I had no trouble remembering. I took another steadying breath and returned to my original destination.

I stopped again as my old home came into view, lit by the fireplace inside. I could remember every nook and cranny of that place. Every spiral the wood made. I could even remember the secret compartment in the floorboards of my room where I kept trinkets I would receive from Paul, or things that I would find in the woods. I wondered if they were all still there.

I crept up to the back window, the one that faced the forest. I knew that it would give a clear view to the interior, and so I could see inside again. My breath hitched as I saw nothing had been moved or shifted. My father's favorite chair still stood by the fire, my mother's right next to his. I frowned as something seemed off. Toys littered the floor, my old toys from when I was a young girl. What would they be doing out?

My heart broke when I saw my parents emerge from their room, a smaller human in between them. They all seemed so happy. The child between them darted forward and began playing with old blocks of mine. He seemed content with life. He didn't know they once belonged to another child. I looked back to my parents, and they looked happier than I had ever seen them while I was alive. "They replaced me…"

I almost jumped out of my skin as a hand found its way to my shoulder. "I tried telling you no good would come from this." I looked back to see Pitch looking in on the same family, his face neutral.

"You knew."

He nodded. "I visit here often enough. Your mother became pregnant not long after I found you. She gave birth to the boy the following August."

Which meant she wasted no time. I curled my lip in disgust at the happy scene playing out before me. "So my father made sure to knock her up immediately, is that it?"

"So it would seem. I'm not a voyeur. I couldn't tell you details. I only know when I came by four months after I found you, she was starting to show."

I tried my hardest to keep my face straight, and I knew I was failing. I had never been so disgusted before. "And Paul?"

"I make sure to scare him senseless every time I'm here. He's taken to filling married women's beds when their husbands are away."

I couldn't help the laugh that passed my lips. "And they called me a witch." I crossed my arms so I wouldn't do any damage to anything around me. "I was put to death for not believing in their God, and yet look at them."

"You're better off. Come home."

I couldn't. Not yet. "If they want a witch's curse, they'll get it."

Instead of pushing me to turn away, he smirked. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

I met his smirk, my tongue between my teeth. "I can do all sorts of things with the Boogeyman's help."

"You could, if I were willing to help." I cocked a brow at him and he rolled his eyes. "I didn't say I wouldn't. You'd never let me forget turning my back on you if I did that."

My smirk only broadened and I poked at his chest. "You be your fine ass I would. So, what do you think?"

"Once they retire for the night. Once everything stills and darkens, that is the best time to strike."

It was when you wanted no margin for error. When you wanted to scare someone to their early graves. Everything had to be perfect, and mood was a large part of it. "Unless it is one of the rare things they've changed, they usually retired a few hours after sunset."

"What of you?"

I let a smile slip and a soft huff leave my nose. "I was awake all hours of the night. The creaking of moving floorboards would keep me awake some nights. When they came, they came from the shadows. I wonder why that is."

He gave an innocent shrug. "I couldn't say. Homes decide when they want to shift."

I glanced back into the old house, my smile fading instantly. "We have some time before they will put the boy to bed and go to sleep themselves. We should find something to entertain ourselves."

I didn't even have to look at him to know he was grinning. "There are a few things I could think of." He turned me around and lifted my chin. "Do you remember a spell I taught you a few years ago? To mute your voice to all humans?"

"Of course." I narrowed my eyes in irritation. "You made sure I learned the spell by taking me in public where we could easily be caught. Knowing full well I still hadn't mastered it."

"That's the one. Cast it."

I frowned and summoned shadows to my fingers, feeling it begin to tingle. I held it to my throat for a moment, stifling giggles at the slight tickling sensations. I brought my hand down again void of shadows. "What difference will it make if anyone hears us? We can slip into the Void to get away before they found us."

"That isn't my plan, love." He took my hand and put it to the front of his robes, letting me feel how hard he was getting through the fabric. "I think you know what I mean."

I grinned and purred, switching my demeanor instantly. "What is it you have in mind, Master?" I gripped him around the soft robes and his pants.

He hissed between his teeth, his lips pulled back still. "There was a thing we did when we were angry with our parents when I was an adolescent."

I laughed. "You were a boy once?"

"Hush. When our parents were out or completely unaware, we would have sex on their beds."

I didn't know why, but I was instantly turned on. "Oh? And I'm assuming you did?"

"A few times. Even though I was human once, it doesn't mean I was any less kinky than I am now." He frowned. "No, that's a lie. I was actually less. Still in control, but it was less."

I leaned forward, pressing my chest to his. I noticed his gaze flicker. "I would imagine you'd be less dominant. I can't imagine you as a human using tentacles and shadows to hold a woman down and fuck her blind."

"I had to use whatever I had at the time. Usually belts. Less fun that way." He chuckled. "I wasn't aware I've made you blind."

"On several occasions." I felt heat rush between my legs and I rubbed my thighs subconsciously together. I bit my lip. "So, about that old custom of yours…"

His wicked smile returned. "What about it?"

"Our voices _are_ muted to humans… and they won't be sleeping for a long time yet."

He cackled as I straightened. "You really do hate your parents right now, don't you?"

"Let's just say that if I were a witch, I would have burned the house down by now and fled off into the night on my broomstick cackling like a madwoman."

He snorted, most likely at the image I had created. "Fair enough." He took my arm and sank into the shadows, reappearing in the house. I was grateful I had put the spell on when I did because he brought us out right behind all of them. A startled shout left me that would have alerted them had they been able to hear me. He flinched. "Must be a little off tonight. Distracted. Which one is theirs?"

Honestly, seeing them in their cozy little lives up close, my anger only boiled more. I solidified my decision when the boy knocked over my old blocks and laughed. "Second on the right." I watched through the shadows while they rose around us. My father turned around at the last second, and I noticed him look twice. Knowing we had startled him earlier made me feel a bit better. My eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden darkness of their room. As I looked around, nothing of the layout had been altered. The bed sat against the wall, framed by two side tables. My father's bookshelf took up the other side of the room, still as messy as ever. He would never notice when I would steal one or two to read at night while they slept.

I saw him curl his lip as he saw the furs. "I suppose they'll suffice."

He threw me off guard as he caught my lips with his, making me lean up just a bit to reach him better. He took the opportunity to unfasten my slacks while he turned us around. His deft fingers worked the knot out of them, pulling the laces apart torturously slow, shifting his lips at the same pace. He wasn't one to be gentle unless he had a reason to. It was nice to slow down every once in awhile. He broke the kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. Once he started shifting my slacks down my thighs he trailed his lips along my skin as well.

His hands trailed up to meet his tongue halfway and he nudged my belly, making me step back. My leg pressed into the bed and my knees buckled instantly. He knelt between my legs and pulled my boots off. "Lay back." He pulled the slacks all the way off, leaving my black stockings in place. He seemed to like them, as did I, though for different reasons. The moment I was free of them he pressed his lips to my thigh, making me shiver. I expected him to bite at any moment at each kiss, but he didn't. As he came closer and closer the heat came back and a whimper left my throat. He was teasing me and he knew it. My head fell back in frustration.

That was when he trailed his tongue across me, making me twitch and grip the furs. He did it again, pulling my clit between his teeth. His lips surrounded me, kissing me, driving me mad. I writhed under his touch, and I'm not sad to admit this, I was more turned on than I had been in my life. The risk of being caught, knowing just what they had done to deserve this, it only made it feel better than it did before. I rolled my hips against him, not able to keep still any longer. I moaned and called for him. Usually this didn't work to get me off, but it was working that night. I leaned up on my arms, a shock running through me as I saw him genuinely interested in pleasing only me. I bit my lip as he glanced at me and his wicked smile returned.

His clothes vanished from him as he retracted the shadows himself. He spread my legs and pushed them back, moving to kneel on the bed. Instead of pushing himself inside as he normally did, he bent over me and kissed me again, sending my head reeling at the passion he put behind it. I ran my fingers down his back, feeling his muscles taut from holding himself up. Without breaking our kiss he shifted his hips, brushing over me. I gasped and pulled back as he dragged his cock down my clit. "It's not too late to back out of this. Wouldn't want to do anything to your last remaining blood."

I sneered at him and raised my hips, forcing him inside me a bit. "Blood doesn't mean everything."

"That's all I need to hear." He moved to hold on to my hips, forcing them back down with him still inside. He rolled his hips into me, pushing farther. I always loved how his hands wrapped around my waist so well. He kept a slow rhythm, trailing his fingers over my ribs and my breasts. I gasped as he slipped in more and a low growl came from his throat.

He couldn't keep his slow pace for long. Gentle long strokes became harsh and short as he held my hips in place. I couldn't breathe as I squirmed beneath him, clutching at the furs, my moans coming out in sharp cries. He wasn't quiet in the least bit either. I wrapped my legs around his hips, feeling him shift for better balance. He immediately went deeper, making my moans come out in short breaths. I came as his pace started to falter and he gave a few harsh jabs, feeling the pleasurable tingling sensation all over my body.

He slowed down, letting us both catch our breath for a second. I reached up and pulled his lips to mine. He answered with a deep growl and a small twitch of his hips. He rolled us over, holding me up while I moved my legs.

He wanted me to do the rest. I held myself up on his chest, rolling my hips against him. I kept my focus on him to keep myself from remembering anything pleasant about the room. Despite his sinful grin, his eyes were hooded and his lips parted slightly as a moan left him. Just watching the muscles in his neck work made a shock of pleasure hit me.

"I can't last much longer, love." His grip on my hips tightened for a moment but I was relentless.

"Is my Boogeyman about to come?"

"Shi… yes. Keep going." His jaw went slack a bit as I tightened around him. He let out a low, satisfied growl. "Fuck, Hana. You really are into this."

"Shut up." I shifted my posture to lay over his chest so I could silence him with kisses, and to keep myself from screaming.

He took the hint and held on to my ribs, fixing his own posture. He adjusted and started to take me slow again, shifting all the way in and pulling almost completely out. I met his strokes, feeling them slowly pick up in pace. We moaned into each other's skin, ignoring the sounds we were making besides the ones that mattered. He jerked and let out a breath of a moan through his nose. He broke our kiss and outmatched my pace. He pulled sharp breaths through his nose as he made my mind go blank, letting them out as soft curses. My nails dug into his hair as I came hard. He cursed and pulled out, spilling onto his belly as his chest rapidly rose and fell. He went still for a moment, and I was scared that we had been heard. His head suddenly tilted back and he put his arm over his eyes as he laughed.

I frowned and leaned back on him, still straddling his hips. "What?"

"I'm just amazed you were willing to do this."

My jaw dropped. "Were you trying to cross another place off your list?"

"Possibly."

"Pitch Black, you impossible man!"

He scoffed and dissolved into the shadows, reappearing beside me while I fell slightly onto the mattress. It was his way of clearing off afterward if he didn't have access to a cloth. "It was your choice. Not my fault you're so wicked."

"See, there's where you're wrong," I countered, getting up to gather my pants and shirt, throwing the latter over my head and forcing my arms through. "You taught me all you know, which led me to here." I pulled the slacks up. "The rest was me." It was my turn to freeze as I heard movement in the cabin. We had taken a bit longer than I had originally expected. I didn't bother shoving my red shirt into my pants. "Oh hell."

His clothes reappeared while he got off the bed and grabbed his staff. The footsteps approached the bedroom and we both vanished into the shadows. I bit back bile as I saw my parents close up for the first time in six years. My mother still had her charcoal colored hair, though a bit more grey streaked through her bun. Her hazel eyes had a bit more lines to them, as did her face.

My father actually looked younger than he did. His overall aura looked brighter than it must have been when I was human. I would never be able to compare it. But it was true. His brown gaze looked that happiest I had seen him in almost fifteen years. He tended to the fire while my mother pulled the furs and sheets down on the bed. If I had been corporeal at the time, I would have smirked as she pulled the blankets up to her chin, completely unaware her supposedly dead daughter and her lover had defiled it just moments ago. That was when I realized something. I had never put my boots back on.

My father turned and frowned, looking at said boots. "Strange. I've never seen these before."

My mother's brows furrowed and she sat up while my father held up the boots by the overturn. "I haven't either. Elliot must have found them and threw them in here earlier."

"Only logical explanation." He dropped them by the fire, and I almost thought he was going to burn them.

I saw my mother bite at her lip, a habit I noticed with distaste that I had inherited from her. "You realize what tomorrow is, right?"

He stiffened and glared at her. "Don't you dare bring her up again, Martha. I won't hear it. She got what was coming to her."

"I know she did. Something went wrong. Her soul was just blackened by a demon. She held her head high when she turned her back on God. But… her birthday—"

"Doesn't exist. She never existed."

The words still stung to this day. I started to regret the choice to go there.

"Thomas. We do need to go to the grave to pray for her."

My father scoffed and retreated to the bed. "What for? There's no body in there anyway. Was taken off. Most likely some animal found her amongst the dead and made better use of it than taking up soil."

A glass vase my mother had kept since she was a little girl shattered and I drew my attention to it, just noticing an absence in the darkness of the shadows. The two startled and my mother put a hand to her chest. Before she could ask what happened, the fire flared up and then dimmed to almost nothing. Nails scraped across the window pane. Metal dragged over the wood. The air grew cold.

"Such a shame you think that." Even after six years, I still wasn't used to his warped, disembodied voice. "Tell me again, what are the teachings of your God?" The way the warped voice echoed in the room was unnerving even for me.

My parents both stumbled out of bed, trying to find the source of his voice. "Get out demon, I'm warning you," my father said, pulling a sword out from under the bed. "This is a sacred house. I won't have you defile it with your evil."

He cackled, making even my shadow form want to shiver. "I thought I was evil. I thought I was the worst being on this pathetic planet. It seems even after thousands of years I can be proven wrong. Your soul is darker than mine, Thomas, and that is saying something."

He continued looking all around while my mother knelt next to the bed praying. "I'm warning you."

The shadows swirled around him and plucked his sword from his grip. They then bent it and snapped it like a twig. "Now, who is this woman you so strongly despise?"

His lip curled and my mother's praying stopped abruptly. "A mistake I made over twenty-six years ago. One that turned away from the teachings of God and tried to lead a good man down the path of sin. She was a demon. She wasn't my daughter. She hadn't been for a very long time. We're all better off with her dead. Who knows who else she would have tried to corrupt?"

I think we all were startled when he was thrown back into the opposing wall by apparently nothing. I still kept to the shadows while my mother scrambled to her feet to stand by his side. "Thomas!"

"And you, Martha was it? What do you think about your daughter?"

She didn't answer right away, and I felt nothing but anxiety. Did she regret it all? She pressed her lips together before looking around the room. "She wasn't our daughter any longer. She was a witch, a sinner. She spurned God and so didn't deserve the life He gave her. We're making amends. We have Elliot."

The warped, inhuman growling that followed terrified even me. I had never seen him this angry before. "A new child will never make amends for your sins!" He formed before my eyes, tendrils snapping from his body. His cold expression sent fear through me. "There are far worse creatures out there than your demons and the devil. You don't ever want to make those creatures angry." He pointed at my father with his staff. "However, you've made that mistake and made the Boogeyman very livid." The shadows beneath my parents came to life as Pitch raised his hand up slowly. They lifted them up, holding them back against the wall. "If she did not deserve the life she had, then what makes you any better?" He arched his fingers into claws, tightening the shadows. "Do you feel it? That exquisite fear? It's the sweetest I've ever found. The fear of knowing you will die." His form started to slip. "Let's draw that out and have a bit of fun, shall we?" He drew the shadows apart, pulling on their limbs as if they were being quartered by horses.

I couldn't take it. I emerged from my hiding place and held on to his outstretched arm. "That's enough. Please, Pitch." I looked at him as he looked at me like I had two heads. "You're right. I should've have never come back." I swallowed around a lump in my throat. "Let's go home."

"After everything they said—"

"After everything they said, it's clear I never belonged as it was. Let them go." I stood back, forcing the tears back. "Or you'll be no better than them."

His lips pressed into a thin line. After a moment he sighed and released his grip on them.

"It can't be."

I looked at my father, ignoring the shock on both of their faces. "I see nothing changes around here. I think I've made the most drastic change of them all. You know, with the whole 'hanging around' thing. That one that you cheered on for fifteen minutes."

"You are a demon."

"No, I'm a Spirit. Different species entirely." I felt my fingers playing with each other and I forced them apart. "I don't know how long I was dead, but I've been alive for six years. In a way. I've been living with Pitch the whole time. He's been teaching me how to survive, how to use the abilities granted to me." I could see my father getting angrier, and that only riled me up further. "I know I wasn't the best daughter to you, but I still am your flesh and blood."

He recoiled as if I had slapped him. "Get out. You're not welcome here, dead or alive, demon or spirit or whatever you are. You strayed from the path. You don't belong in the village. You and your demon… whatever he is, go back to where you came from."

Pitch stepped forward, surprising even me. He jabbed my father in the chest, and his height grew a bit. "You listen here, you worthless excuse for a human. I have seen your kind evolve over the years, yes, evolve, not suddenly appear with pixie dust or whatever it is you believe your God used to create the world. I've seen death, war, famine, things that would plague your dreams for the rest of your lives." His eyes narrowed, and his gaze grew so cold I almost shivered. "She has more courage than anyone I've ever known to come back here to worthless excuses of parents, just to give you another chance. And you threw it away. You threw away a chance to have your daughter back. What kind of father would do that?" When my father didn't answer, Pitch grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall, lifting him up. "What father would scorn his only daughter and send her to the wolves for slaughter?"

I touched his arm and his jumped as if I had shocked him. "Put him down."

He seemed to realize what happened and shrank to his normal height, setting my father back to the ground.

"The second chance won't ever happen." I shrugged, making it seem like it wasn't tearing me apart. I glared at them. "May your God help you if Elliot strays from the righteous path of your Lord." I looked to my mother. "I'm just sorry you two felt that way about me that you'd go and let your only daughter be killed to make a point. You get your wish though. You'll never have to see me again." My boots dangled in front of me from one of Pitch's tendrils and I grabbed them as he put a hand to my shoulder. "We'll leave you to your empty, shallow lives." We sank into the shadows, though I paused halfway through. "Oh, and by the way, we fucked on your bed. Enjoy that knowledge."

I relished the horrified glances they gave us as we vanished, reemerging in the woods where I had left Hessian. The horse looked up from grazing with Onyx, looking on in interest.

I frowned as Pitch walked away, past Onyx. "Oogie?" He paused and I swallowed, still feeling a lingering fear for what he was capable of. "Thank you for everything. You didn't have to stand up for me like that. They weren't worth it."

He was quiet for a moment, and I could see his fingers twitching as they rested behind his back. "A father should never turn his back on his daughter. No parent should," he added.

"I should have listened to you."

He chuckled and finally looked back to me. "Listen to yourself. I didn't lie when I said you had courage for doing what you did. How many could say they would try to make amends with those that helped kill them?"

I flinched and looked away. "It was pretty stupid… I just hoped they had changed. That they had…"

"That they had regretted their decision," he supplied for me and I nodded, finding a painful lump in my throat again. "Humans are spiteful creatures. It doesn't take much to make them hate someone, even their own blood. They're easy to manipulate. They love to shed blood, no matter how much they deny it. They crave controversy." He caught my gaze. "Blood isn't always someone's top priority."

"You say that as if you know a thing or two about it."

"I do. I have for the past six years."

My blood ran cold as Onyx stood beside him, nuzzling his arm. "Oogie…"

"We should head back. Unless you want to help me tonight."

I nodded and smirked. "And I know just where we need to stop first. Luckily, we're in the neighborhood. We should drop by and say hello. I mean, I can't let you have all the fun with my ex."

He met my grin as I slipped my tongue between my teeth. "You naughty little minx. I believe I have just the Nightmare for him."


	11. Chapter 11

Day 20

Dancing

Mixed entry. There's a picture to go along with the story found on my deviantart. Look me up under Luciferdragon. And don't forget, Hana is still taking questions on her ask blog. Look her up on Tumblr under the username askhanaeve. This story is fluff galore, so I hope you have your cavities filled. I was asked to draw a family portrait, and so this came to my mind while working on it.

* * *

There was a bedtime routine I loved to do with my son whenever he wanted it. Through the years he had been raised as one would expect from his parentage. However, that didn't stop me from introducing him to films I had found in the century I was alone in Germany, ones I fell in love with. There was one in particular he admired above the rest, due to, as he described it, "a cool story of a knight rescuing a pretty girl and fighting an awesome dragon." He would grab the old tape from his then growing collection and thrust it in my hands before getting comfortable on his bed, waiting for me to join him.

This started when he was two, and even now at eight he still enjoyed it, even though he had begun to ask for it less and less. It broke my heart knowing he was still steadily growing, but it let me value the moments he would still ask his Mommy to join him for the movie, to sing the parts of Aurora. These would be mornings where his father had still not come back. I don't think Drago had ever let his father know he still enjoyed these moments as well. Despite the fact he held half his blood, Drago knew his father was dangerous. And scary. Not that Pitch would do more than flick him on the nose when the boy was mischievous or just give him a look. He said it was effective parenting to not let your child know you wouldn't actually hurt them. I would just roll my eyes and let him do as he wished.

"You brushed you teeth, right?" I said, pulling down his sheets while he looked through his movies to decide what to watch for the morning.

"Yep, did everything I was supposed to." I saw him hesitantly reach out for a familiar cover, looking at the case tilted towards him for a moment. He nodded and took it from the shelf, facing me with a small smile.

I tilted my head to his small TV setup. "You know how it works." I listened to him fast forwarding the tape while I pulled down the other side of his sheets to lie on. It was an effective solution to when I had to leave after he fell asleep. He grabbed his large, black stuffed bear and hopped into bed, leaning against my side while the movie started. He would ask small questions and I would answer to the best of my ability. He would comment on why he thought Maleficent was bad, but not as bad as everyone made her seem. I always smiled at his observations as he learned more through the days. When he learned it was a great disgrace to not be invited to view the royal baby in the 1300s, even if you were an enemy of the crown, he stood up for the woman, saying her anger was justified and that the King and Queen deserved it.

From the mouths of babes.

He scrunched his nose at the screen, a nose he had inherited from me. His face was thoughtful. "She's like Dad in a way."

I frowned and looked at the screen. "How so?"

"The others pushed him away. Didn't accept the fact he did things differently. Like, so what if he's scary? He's still someone. He isn't evil all the time."

I smiled and ruffled his hair. "I suppose not."

"And wouldn't the fairies know how to do stuff without magic by now? They were doing this longer than I've been alive."

"We don't talk about plot holes. We enjoy the movie."

He fell quiet again, but the silence didn't last long as he giggled.

I smirked. "What's so funny, buster?"

"I imagined Dad as a dragon. It would be funny."

"Oh no, don't let him hear that, you'll give him ideas! He's a nightmare enough as a man." I poked his side and he twitched and giggled. "Besides, do you know what sort of damage he would do trying to navigate the halls?" I tickled him again. "It would be like setting Onyx, Hessian, and Bellini loose all at once, chasing Vlad." I frowned again. "I can't think of what makes them chase that old 'bat." I shrugged and started tickling him more, making him wiggle.

"Mom!" he cackled. "Quit it!"

"Not until you've rid yourself of that dreadful image! You know how he goes digging in our heads for fun."

He kicked at me with his bare feet, but I felt nothing. "Alright, alright! It's gone! I swear!"

I stopped suddenly and faked gasped with the movie. "Why, it's my dream prince!" I hefted him in my arms, glad his weight was light, and took him to the center of his room, putting him down. I bowed. "Your highness!"

"Mom," he whined. "I'm getting too-"

"You're never too old to dance with your mother. Don't make me feel my age. Besides, you like it, don't lie."

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Ok." He did always like this part, even when he was a toddler. The whole thing was engraved in our memories.

I had to thank the hundred years of seclusion for giving me a decent singing voice to entertain my son. "You know I'm really not supposed to talk to strangers. But we've met before." I bent down and took his hands in mine as we spun. "_I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream_."

He giggled with me as we danced along with the steps to the film. "You're so weird, Mom."

"Yeah, but you love it." I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the music. I opened them in confusion as he stepped away, a bit of fear in his eyes. At the same time, much stronger hands led me into the rest of the steps of the song. My heart stopped, but the fear in Drago's eyes melted. "We weren't expecting you home so soon, Oogie."

Pitch chuckled and looked to Drago as he turned me around for a proper posture. "I'm sorry, my boy, I'm stealing this dance."

Drago bowed in return and backed away. "I know when to share."

His fluid motions never failed to amaze me as he led me through steps I wasn't even aware he knew. "How long were you there for?"

"Long enough. Come now, have a bit of fun."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. If he was in a good mood, it meant the night had gone very well. Drago laughed and clapped. "You never cease to surprise me."

"Eternity is a long time. We have to try to keep things interesting in ways we would never expect." He spun me before pulling me back into a sway. "Otherwise we'll need another hundred years apart, and I'd rather not have to figure out visiting rights for the boy for that long."

I laughed. "Keep doing things like this, and eternity won't be long enough, Oogie."

"I'll keep that in mind, Princess."

I stuck my tongue between my teeth. "Queen last I checked."

"I did give you that promotion, didn't I?"

"Jackass."

He cackled. "Such language."

"Oh I'll be more colorful later on."

He crossed my arms over my chest as the song faded and the movie continued on, pressing against my back as he still held my hands. "I look forward to it."

I looked to Drago, seeing him frown. "What's wrong, Drago?"

"I'm still the prince, right?"

I laughed and nodded as my shoulder was used as a headrest. "Yes, you still play the role of a prince. And you get to rescue a damsel in distress from the forces of evil." I frowned. "Or forces of good in our situation?"

"You fight forces," Pitch offered, seeming to decide the posture was indeed comfortable. "Rescue damsels. Do manly things in between. It's all in the manual."

I elbowed his ribs. "Here's the first thing you can fight."

To my surprise, the boy's eyes lit up. He raced around us and dove into the shadows leading under his bed. He returned not a moment later with a wooden sword and shield. "Have at thee, evil villain! I shall win fair lady's heart!"

I couldn't repress the smile on my face as Pitch perfectly played the role of both father and villain. "Ye will never succeed! Thy princess is mine." He let me go and made a harmless sword from the shadows. He stepped in front of me.

"You shall fall this day!"

I stepped back and watched in amusement as they clashed "swords" around his room. I knew for a fact Pitch was letting his son win. He wouldn't have been alive and done half the things he did if a sword was not an extension of his arm. My smile only broadened at that fact. They danced around each other, parrying and blocking, throwing teasing words here and there. All the while their damsel became more interested in the movie again. I resumed my place on the bed, glancing at their play every now and again.

After awhile they called a truce and Drago crawled in next to me again, reaching for his bear before laying his head on my lap again. To my surprise, Pitch slipped in on my other side. Drago looked up at him. "Does this make me girly? Liking this movie?"

"You're allowed to like what you wish," he answered. "I don't see why it would make you appear more feminine." He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Besides, isn't the queen of this the most evil villain they've come up with?"

"One of them," I answered, taking the opportunity to rest on his arm. "Enjoy what you want to enjoy, Drago. No one is judging you."

"I liked seeing you two dance," he answered, throwing me for a loop. He looked up at us with his pale gold eyes. "I like it when you're nice to each other. It means we're not a completely evil family."

Perceptive as always. I looked as my shoulder was nudged. "Should give him what he enjoys, Hana."

I took his hand as he offered it, sliding off the bed. My nightdress billowed as I was spun and I laughed. "As if I have a choice."

"I won't bite. Much."

Drago laughed from the bed as we moved to a waltz in our heads, helped by the movie still playing. The boy's request was a strange one, or so it seemed at first. When I thought about it, I realized we weren't a conventional family. We acted nothing like many of the mortals we had shown him. There were no "Hi honey, how was your day" or "Darling, can you take out the trash" comments being thrown about. We rarely said we loved each other, and even rarer did we show it around others. He usually had to be either extremely intoxicated or comfortable. It was usually the first. The truth was, we didn't need it. We weren't a cutesy couple with a white picket fence, a stable marriage, and two perfect children, with a pet dog snoozing in a sun spot in the living room. In front of others, we were usually neutral to each other. Nothing needed to be said or done in those situations. We're practical. No sense getting worked up over another living person to the point you might as well have a harlequin romance written about your life.

No, there was no fawning, the sweet nothings were uncommon, endearments that he actually meant almost never happened. I had the pet name for him, but he had nothing for me. The closest he had to one was my real name, my mortal name, just as I used his from time to time if I was extremely angry with him, or I wanted him to go faster and harder.

I chuckled and dropped my gaze to his chest. "We don't do this often enough for me to remember you know how to do this."

"I like to keep it special." He tilted me a bit, his hand to the small of my back. "Besides, haven't we done this dance before?"

I frowned. "When?" His grin made me realize what he meant. "Don't you even—"

"_I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream._"

He spun me, keeping my back to him as I started laughing at his not horrible attempt. I heard Drago's giggle join mine. "You're hopeless."

"Who am I do deny the wishes of a prince? Even the darkest of creatures have to keep to promises and wishes, especially those of children."

We both looked down as a small hand tugged our clothes. We shifted to take those in our hands, letting the boy join in. I honestly couldn't stand the public displays of affection, but at home, they were valued for how rare they were. The moments the Boogeyman would be so charming were infrequent enough that I wouldn't trade the dreams the memories gave me for anything. He squeezed my hand and we exchanged a knowing grin. We never had to say a thing. Our subtle actions were just enough to make each day unique.

He swept his son up on to his hip, swaying around the room with his young prince reciting the movie here and there. I spent the time straightening out his room, smiling at the strange arrangement. The room flickered with the light of the fireplace, casting shadows on the far stone walls. As I put his toys away, I watched the pair as his father's pace fell to a slow rock, and the child had gone quiet.

"It makes me wonder…" I muttered, closing the bin for the toys.

"What?"

"What sort of father you were as a human." I turned to face him. "If you're this compassionate as the physical manifestation of fear and darkness, what were you like as a soldier, Kozmotis?"

He smiled and scoffed. "Just about the same I bet." He glanced up at me. "Flesh and blood mean everything. To those who deserve to be protected, that is."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, an amused smirk on my face. I watched as he transferred Drago to the bed, pulling his sheets up to his chin. "So you really don't mind he enjoys this stuff still?"

"Why would I? It's not harming anyone." He got up and turned the TV off. "So long as he keeps to the shadows, I wouldn't care if he paraded around in a dress." He put a hand on my waist and used his other to hold mine, pulling me into another silent waltz as we sank into the shadows to our own room for the day.

I put my head to his chest, hearing his heart and taking in his scent from scaring humans all night. "Are you sure you're evil incarnate?"

Shadows slipped from his form behind him, several pairs of eyes opening within it. An inhuman hiss escaped from the darkness. "Pretty sure."

I chuckled as the darkness returned to his body. "I suppose the strongest of creatures still has a weakness."

"Which not many know. Not many need to know."

I pulled away and walked on the balls of my feet to bed, my hands clasped behind my back. I bit my lip and looked back at him. "Which makes it all the more intimate to know. And it's nice, knowing we share a weakness." I slipped under the sheets as he went to his side and stripped down. "I couldn't live without my family either." We both got comfortable for the day, giggling as I felt something slithery run over my stripped socks. "Not tonight," I said with a hum. "My eyelids are getting heavy as it is."

"Have it your way. Though there are other ways…"

I didn't even dwell on it as I drifted off for the day. He joined me in my dream, leading me through a waltz in the dark halls of what remained of the audience chamber in the lair. Even with the silence and the sanctity of our room now that Drago was old enough to not barge in unannounced, this was where we were truly alone. There were no judgments, no boundaries, no one else. Everything that was said and done in the dream plane was ours and ours alone. And I cherished the fact that the experiences could never be forgotten.

I moved my hands under his arms to hold on to his shoulders. He slowed his pace while I closed my eyes and leaned on his chest. His hands rested on my hips and I felt a chuckle reverberate through him, made even creepier by the echo of the dream plane.

I didn't bother looking at him. I was too content with the swaying circles he was leading us through. "And what do you find so amusing, Oogie?"

"The fact that we were able to produce someone like Drago. A dance is such an innocent request of a child."

"He doesn't have the sweetest of parents, you know. Wanting us to act normal every once in awhile isn't too outrageous."

"I suppose not." I opened my eyes as he tilted my chin. "So, Princess Aurora, what is that song you sang once upon a dream?"

A breath of a laugh escaped my nose. "I'm not singing anymore. Besides, that's a Drago privilege, not a Pitch one."

"Ooh, then what privileges do I get?" His grin turned wicked and I felt a slither of shadows run down my back. "Pleasurable ones, I hope."

I met his sinful grin. "Mm, down boy. Not yet. I'm enjoying this."

I wasn't expecting him to withdraw the tendril. I was expecting it to go further. Instead he pulled it back into his body and resumed the dance. "Whatever my Queen desires."

I chuckled as he let me relax against him again. We would always be a strange family to everyone else, but for us, I wouldn't have it any other way. _Once upon a dream indeed…_


End file.
